Local candidate for the London Assembly Nick Vandyke has welcomed new rail upgrades including Liverpool Street station that will directly benefit residents in Dagenham. The £1.1 million investment will fund plans to relieve overcrowding at London Liverpool Street station, enabling smoother journeys from the constituency.
Alongside this local boost, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today announced the launch a new Acceleration Unit to ensure that vital rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, increase connectivity, and boost the economy will be delivered faster and on schedule.
Comprising of experts, like those who built the Nightingale Hospital in London in nine days, this new team of specialists will join the Department for Transport in order to tackle delays to infrastructure projects and drive forward progress for passengers. The unit is set to be in place next month and will be directly accountable to the Transport Secretary. It will be led by Darren Shirley, currently Chief Executive of the Campaign for Better Transport and formerly of Which? magazine.
Commenting, Nick Vandyke said:
Investment in transport infrastructure will help boost our economic recovery from coronavirus. That's why I'm delighted to welcome this announcement today.
Not only does it mean improvements for residents in Dagenham now, but it means future projects up and down the country will be delivered more quickly.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
As Britain begins to get moving once again after four months of lockdown, no-one should underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead.
We want to accelerate Britain's recovery by investing in vital infrastructure that will help get businesses back on their feet, create jobs to replace those that have been lost and level up our country.
The creation of our new Acceleration Unit and investment in our roads and railways will ensure we build back better, greener and faster in the future.
Notes
- Launching 'Acceleration Unit' to speed up delivery of transport projects delivering the to level up parts of UK. Thanks to the launch of this new Unit, vital rail and road upgrades that will create jobs, increase connectivity, and boost the economy will be delivered more quickly across the lengths of the United Kingdom. (Department for Transport, Press Release, 21 August 2020.)
- Delivering a £360 million investment in our roads and rail - to build back better. This £360 million investment in our roads and railways will help drive our economic recovery from coronavirus - creating jobs and levelling-up by ensuring businesses across all corners of the UK have the opportunities they need to grow (Department for Transport, Press Release, 21 August 2020.)
