Several major railway schemes have been given the green light by Chancellor John Healey, but critics say more attention needs to be paid to rail freight.

The Chancellor’s list included the Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant & Castle into south east London, which was recognised as a ‘key infrastructure project’. Also mentioned was Stratford International, which may see international trains at last, along with a further £200 million to upgrade Leeds station as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, while West Midlands Metro is also to be extended.

The director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers Janet Young said: ‘Today’s Budget contained some welcome signals for infrastructure, [but] the key test, however, will be whether these commitments are backed by a clear plan for delivery. The sector will be looking for greater detail in next year’s Spending Review, and in the refresh of the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.’

The chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport Ben Plowden said: ‘We are delighted to see this announcement as a first step towards bringing international rail services to Stratford International. With less than half of the Channel Tunnel’s passenger capacity currently being used, there is huge potential to make international rail travel available to many more people. If we are serious about meeting our climate commitments, we need to make rail the easy choice for journeys to Europe rather than increasing capacity at Heathrow airport. Bringing international services to Stratford would help do exactly that, creating a new gateway to the continent and making sustainable travel more accessible for people across London and beyond.

‘However, we are disappointed that the Chancellor chose not to reform aviation tax and decided against gradually ending the fuel duty cut. We understand the pressures on household budgets, but with fuel prices so strongly affected by global events, the fuel duty freeze and cut have been little help to people and have disproportionately benefited better-off households. The combined cost of both to the public purse has been many billions, which could be used to support the services that people rely on, including local, everyday public transport.’