Patrick McLoughlin MP: Why we're bringing certainty and stability to upgrading roads

Patrick McLoughlin is the Secretary of State for Transport and MP for Derbyshire Dales.

When I became Secretary of State for Transport last September, one thing that struck me early on was the difference in the way that we plan and invest in our railways compared with our roads. On our railways, we draw up plans over five year periods, supported by a secure, guaranteed long term funding stream. And it is thanks to this approach that we were able to announce last summer the biggest modernisation programme for our railways since the Victorian era.

The contrast with roads, where nothing like that existed, was stark. The result has been an uncertain, tap-on-tap-off approach to how we build and maintain our road network. Indeed, the absence of an investment strategy enabled Labour to shelve more than 100 schemes on coming into Government. And it is no doubt a significant part of the explanation as to why on their watch, between 2000 and 2007, Britain was the lowest investor in infrastructure of all OECD countries.

Today we are announcing a package of reforms that will change all that. From 2015, England 's roads will benefit from long term funding certainty and a five year investment strategy. The Highways Agency, the body responsible for our motorways and trunk roads, will be turned into a publicly owned company and freed from red tape. And all of these changes will be backed by law.

Patrick McLoughlin MP: We can't afford not to build HS2

Patrick McLoughlin is the Secretary of State for Transport and MP for Derbyshire Dales.

Yesterday saw the Second Reading of the HS2 Preparation Bill in parliament. It was a significant milestone for the project, with Parliament voting on it for the first time. It also enabled me to explain to the house why I believe this is the right project for Britain and how we are managing the costs of the project, as well as reassuring MPs that I am committed to compensation that is fair and design that minimises the environmental impact.

HS2 is a vital part of the infrastructure overhaul that this Government is delivering so that our country can compete in the global race. It will be the first line to be built north of London in 120 years and the simple fact is that, without it, the key rail and road routes connecting London, the Midlands and the North will soon be overwhelmed. Rail travel has doubled in a decade and even on moderate forecasts, the West Coast Mainline will be full by the mid 2020s. Therefore, this is not a choice between upgrading the existing railway and building a new railway. It is a choice between a new high speed line and a new conventional railway. The significant additional benefits make high speed the right answer.

As well as addressing the issue of capacity, HS2 offers huge opportunities to create jobs and boost our economy. Our conservative estimates are that the project will create 100,000 jobs. The Core Cities group goes further, predicting that it will underpin four times that number, with 70 per cent of them outside London. It is expected to provide around £50 billion pounds worth of economic benefits for the economy, with some estimates suggesting it will add more than £4 billion before it is even open. Our towns and cities, particularly across the North and Midlands, cannot afford to lose out on these opportunities.

Whilst we can’t afford not to do it, it is vital that we control the costs and deliver maximum value to the taxpayer. That is why I am writing to HS2 Ltd setting them a target price for delivering phase 1 of £17 billion. This accounts for important recent design changes to the scheme such as the decision to build a tunnel from Old Oak Common to Hortholt.

Patrick McLoughlin MP: Why Margaret Hodge and her committee are wrong about HS2

Patrick McLoughlin is the Secretary of State for Transport and MP for Derbyshire Dales.

Imagine trying to drive to Sheffield or Leeds without the M1. Or getting to Canary Wharf in east London on the Tube without the Jubilee line. Or navigating around London without the M25. It would not only be a nightmare - a country without these things would be stuck in the slow lane. We’d be poorer, more divided and far less able to compete with places like China that are charging ahead.

That’s why today no-one seriously suggests that it was a mistake to build the M25. At the time, though, it was a different story. The bean counters fretted and the press complained. Was new infrastructure really a good use of money, they asked? Did we need it at all? After all, in all the examples above, cost-benefit analysis suggested the economic return might be no better, and in some cases worse, than we predict for the new high speed two line we will build between our great cities.

The Government was right to press on and build them, just as it built the High Speed One line from the Channel Tunnel to London. It carried the crowds to the Olympic Games in East London and has now brought great companies like Google to invest in Britain, with a new European HQ just by the high speed station. We must think big, invest well and get on with the job of getting our country’s transport up to scratch. We need some renewed Victorian vigour and vision – the can-do spirit that built Britain.

Patrick McLoughlin: The future for railways is bright. That's why it's right to put the East Coast Mainline back in private hands

Patrick McLoughlin is the Secretary of State for Transport and MP for Derbyshire Dales

This week has been marked by two important milestones for rail in Britain. One of them was the 50th anniversary of a Government report which was meant to herald the managed decline of the railways. It is an important, if misguided, part of the industry’s rich history. The other was the announcement of a comprehensive Government programme of franchising. This will be an integral part of its extremely bright future. 

The passage of time has proved Dr Beeching was wrong about British railways. Far from being on the way out, the industry has never been stronger, with passenger numbers at record levels. Yet if we are to avoid the mistakes of the past, we need to remember that such a resurgence didn’t always seem inevitable. Indeed, I am drawn to another important anniversary that will take place this year: 20 years since the last Conservative government began the process of privatising a railway that was, at the time, still very much in decline.