Planes, Trains and Drains highlights the wealth of activity taking place in infrastructure development and investment in London. 

The range and scope of current infrastructure, spurred in part by hosting the 2012 Olympic Games, is on a scale that has rarely been seen before, and is compared by some commentators to the achievements of the Victorians.

Infrastructure is the key to a well-functioning city, and London is fantastically well served by its infrastructure. It could hardly be so pre-eminent a global city were that otherwise. As the Mayor of London points out, over 10 million rely on its transportation to go about their daily lives. International businesses base themselves here knowing they can rely on all aspects of London’s infrastructure to compete efficiently. And our high-standard of living, though of course under pressure since the recession, is built on and sustained by the enormously sophisticated systems that deliver our utilities and which guarantee that our journeys, wherever we chose to make them, can run to a reasonably reliable timetable. 

Of course, difficulties occur. Road congestion is often crippling, trains run late and tubes are delayed. And the bottom line with infrastructure is that unless it is consistently maintained through long-term investment, today’s accelerated pace of change can quickly expose deficiencies in even the most impressive systems. Certainly, the problems are well known. Report after report indicts Westminster politicians for failing to make long-term investment in London’s infrastructure, and dire warnings are issued over our faltering competitiveness.

These warnings have not gone unheeded. That is why so much money is currently being invested in London’s infrastructure on magnificent projects like Crossrail and the many station upgrades, and why so much investment is being planned for new transport links, sewage systems and possibly a new airport for London. And the value of investment is not confined purely to the supported project — vast swathes of the capital including Stratford and King’s Cross are benefitting enormously from the regeneration that improved transport links can deliver. 

How infrastructure underpins London’s global status
And how we compare to the Victorians.

Planning and time frames
Why does it take so long for major infrastructure projects to get built?

Funding issues
How historic attitudes have affected Britain’s approach to infrastructure investment, and new approaches to funding and infrastructure.

Sectors
An insight of key sectors and how they play an important part of the development in London:

Project showcase
A variety of infrastructure projects being delivered by Partners of NLA across London. The schemes reflect the full range of sector and scale that are vital to the lifeblood of the city. 

Published March 2013
60 Pages