Engineering jobs guaranteed for decades
Plans for a big engineering job will see a number of new employees, after it was announced that a new railway line between Manchester, Preston and Liverpool will be electrified. Chancellor Alistair Darling has said at the House of Commons during the Pre Budget Report.
Mr Darling said that the transport secretary, Lord Adonis would announce more details over the next few weeks. The Chancellor also repeated the government's support for the £16 million Crossrail project to improve railways in London and the south east of England as well. Lord Adonis talked about plans to create a high speed rail network across the UK, and he also said that such a large scale job would take around 20-30 years to finish. This would at least keep engineers in work for decades to come.
The Pre Budget Report said it would plan a national infrastructure body, called Infrastructure UK to secure funds for major projects over the next 50 years. The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Director Rosemary Beales said: "This is a further step towards the development of long term plans for investment in infrastructure. The plans put forward in the Pre Budget Report are very encouraging. Bringing together the Treasury’s Infrastructure Finance Unit and the capabilities within Partnerships UK points towards an organisation that will focus on long term funding for much needed infrastructure investment and renewal."