Chancellor George Osborne has promised the largest roads investment programme in half a century and has committed to spending more on the railways since the Victorian era.

But he gave little away as to which projects will benefit, deferring the detail until tomorrow (Thursday) when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will announce a £100Bn package of infrastructure spending. 

It is thought that a fair chunk of that £100Bn will be spent on roads and railways as a means to help promote economic growth. A source at the Department for Transport hinted that highway projects in the West Midlands and East Anglia are likely to receive large sums.

In his Spending Review speech this lunchtime Mr Osborne committed £50Bn of infrastructure capital investment in 2015/16, and a total of £300Bn in capital spending to the end of the decade.

Department for Transport’s capital budget will rise to £9.5Bn, the largest rise for any part of Government, but DfT will be expected to make a 9% saving in its day to day spending. Efficiency savings should, his Review adds, ensure Government is able to protect spending on buses and roads and avoid additional rail fare increases.

The Chancellor repeated the need to push ahead with the High Speed 2 rail link which will be “a huge boost to the north of England and help transform the economic geography of this country.” He added that Government is considering the case for the Crossrail 2 project following completion of the current Crossrail scheme.

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