Civils contractors today welcomed the publication of a report setting out the regional transport priorities for the Midlands.
Midlands Connect, the body that brings together local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships from across the region, today published Our Routes To Growth, which calls for a fundamental shift in how major infrastructure investment is planned and delivered in the region.
The key recommendations in the report set out how to transform the region with the delivery of a Midlands Rail Hub; a Midlands Motorway Hub; a long-term strategy for upgrading the A46; accelerating the delivery of the HS2 East Midlands Hub; introducing smart ticketing; upgrading the major road network; and delivering improvements to a range of rail links.
Commenting, Director of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Midlands Dawn Karakatsanis said: “We welcome this report, which highlights the importance of the Midlands as a critical transport hub for both passengers and freight.
“Midlands Connect have developed the detailed long-term plan that will tackle congestion, create jobs, and deliver economic growth both in the Midlands itself and in the wider British economy.
“It is vital that both central and local Government work with industry and the wider business community to deliver a twenty-first century transport system that works for everyone.
“CECA has long advocated a rebalancing of the economy, which at present is too over-reliant on growth in the South East of England.
“If the recommendations in today’s report are realised in full, it will be to the benefit of businesses and communities not just in the Midlands, but across the whole of the UK.”
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