Insights

England’s Economic Heartland has the potential to become the UK’s Silicon Valley: so said the National Infrastructure Commission in their report to Government last autumn. It is a potential that the strategic political and business leaders across the corridor have long understood, with England’s Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance tracing its origins back to 2014, predating…

Network Rail has launched its formal six-week consultation process to finalise the designs of the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) and we are urging businesses of all sectors, sizes and location to contribute to this consultation. This is your chance to show your support and have a say in a critical investment that we and various…

Kelly Smith uses the Wimbledon Loop Thameslink services from Streatham in South London to Blackfriars. Three weeks ago she had a reasonable and improving service, with the last National Rail Passenger Survey score showing her fellow passengers were also recognising the improvement. A whole new train fleet, OK reliability and more chance of getting a seat –…

Increasing costs for road users is politically difficult.  This is one of the reasons why we have had seven years and eight consecutive budgets where fuel duty has been frozen at a time of historically low oil prices and austerity. The result of seven years of fuel duty freezes is that the price of fuel…

I’m delighted to announce today the publication of new analysis by KPMG which articulates the role of sustainable transport in unlocking the benefits of new housing. Download PDF The UK’s infrastructure is under huge strain and has not kept pace with population growth.  Nowhere is this more acutely felt than in the housing sector.  We…

Last week, the Transport Knowledge Hub held an event in the South West to explore how the latest transport technology and innovation can help the region make more sustainable and inclusive transport investments. One of themes that developed was the importance of partnerships between all the key players: national bodies such as Highways England and…

Last week, the Transport Knowledge Hub held an event in the South East with key regional stakeholders to explore how transport technology and innovation can help the region make more sustainable and inclusive transport investments. There is no doubt that harnessing new technology and embracing disruptive change to deliver better outcomes for society is vital.…

At a recent Transport Knowledge Hub event in Scotland, Transport Minister Humza Yousaf MSP proclaimed that sustainable transport was at the very heart of the Scottish Government’s agenda. He said buses are to play a crucial role if Scotland is going to achieve its sustainable transport ambitions and in particular improve air quality. He sees…

When Transport for the North becomes the UK’s first Sub-National Transport Body in a few days’ time there will be a lot to celebrate. Transport for the North’s specific role is to be a statutory partner to the Department for Transport, Highways England, and Network Rail to ensure that pan-Northern strategic transport priorities are delivered.…

Transport Knowledge Hub has kicked off our March 2018 events programme with a lively discussion in the Midlands. We brought together local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and local transport decision-makers to discuss the opportunities for the Midlands in a time of fast-paced change. A major focus of the discussion was how new technologies are beginning…

This month’s guest blog is from Nick Small, Head of Strategic Development and the Built Environment (South) at Stagecoach. For the first time since the 1950s there is an all-party consensus that more homes are needed, and quickly. In November 2017, an already challenging delivery target of at least 200,000 per year, now no longer…

The world is poised on the cusp of a transport and societal revolution which, over the next 10 to 15 years, “will drive change on the scale of the Industrial Revolution”. So said KPMG global head of public transport and UK head of infrastructure Richard Threlfall, introducing this week’s Transport Knowledge Hub workshop. TKH’s second…