§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the capital, operational and maintenance costs of one mile of motorway; and what are the comparable costs for one mile of railway track.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeFigures are not available on a comparable basis. Motorways also carry far more traffic per mile than railways. The available information on capital and maintenance costs is as follows:
- A. Capital Costs
- 1. Motorways*: Dual 2 lane—£1.8m to £7.6m (average £2.9m).—Dual 3 lane—£2.2m to £17.9m (average £4.4m).
- 2. Railways†: Two track main line—At least £0.65m.
- B. Maintenance Costs
- 1. Motorways‡: About £12,000 average for the whole motorway network.
- 2. Railways**: About £12,500 average for all double track lines.
Notes:
* Costs vary widely according to terrain, etc. These figures are 232W at December 1981 prices and relate to contracts let since 1976. They include structures, interchanges and side road alterations, which account on average for ⅓of the total cost—although this proportion varies widely. The figures exclude land purchase and rehousing costs, which would add 10 per cent. or more to the figures quoted, but vary greatly according to location.
† BRB figure. Minimum cost for two track main line—for up to 100 mph operation—at current prices, excluding bridges and structures, signalling and land purchase costs, but including fencing, ditching and normal drainage. Difficult terrain conditions would also increase this cost.
‡ Average annual cost per mile, at current prices, for routine maintenance, excluding lighting and major strengthening, resurfacing or reconstruction works that may be needed between 15 and 20 years after the original construction of the motorway.
** BRB figure. Average annual cost, at current prices, per mile of two track line, for routine maintenance, excluding re-ballasting, major repairs to bridges and structures and maintenance of signalling equipment.