Editing Economy of the United Kingdom (section)

====Transport, storage and communication====
{{Main|Telecommunications in the United Kingdom|Transport in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:An LNER Azuma train at Burnmouth, geograph 6350005 by Walter Baxter.jpg|thumb|The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a 393-mile long (632 km) high-speed line between its southern terminus at [[London King's Cross station]] and [[Edinburgh Waverley]] via [[Peterborough railway station|Peterborough]], [[Doncaster railway station|Doncaster]], [[York railway station|York]], [[Darlington railway station|Darlington]], [[Durham railway station|Durham]] and [[Newcastle railway station|Newcastle]].]]
The transport and storage industry added a gross value of £59.2&nbsp;billion to the UK economy in 2011 and the telecommunication industry added a gross value of £25.1&nbsp;billion in the same year.<ref name="ons.gov.uk"/>

The UK has a total road network of {{convert|246700|mi|0}} with {{convert|31400|mi|0}} of major roads, including {{convert|2300|mi|0}} of motorway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/722478/road-lengths-in-great-britain-2017.pdf|title=Road Lengths in Great Britain 2017|date=5 July 2018|publisher=Department of Transport}}</ref> The railway infrastructure, in Great Britain, is owned by [[Network Rail]] which has {{convert|19291|mi|0}} of railway lines, of which {{convert|9866|mi}} is open for traffic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/39417/rail-infrastructure-assets-environmental-2017-18.pdf|title=Rail infrastructure, assets and environmental 2017–18 Annual Statistical Release|date= 18 October 2018|publisher=[[Office of Rail and Road]]|website= [[gov.uk]]}}</ref> There are a further {{convert|206.5|mi}} of track in [[Northern Ireland]], owned and operated by [[Northern Ireland Railways]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.translink.co.uk/Documents/Corporate/publications/network%20statement/Translink%20Network%20Statement%20March%202016.pdf|title=Northern Ireland Railways Network Statement 2019|date=30 March 2018|publisher=[[Northern Ireland Railways]]|website=www.translink.co.uk|access-date=12 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820121840/https://www.translink.co.uk/Documents/Corporate/publications/network%20statement/Translink%20Network%20Statement%20March%202016.pdf|archive-date=20 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

The government is to spend £56&nbsp;billion on a new high-speed railway line, [[HS2]], with the first phase from London to [[Birmingham]] costing £27&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46586603 |title=HS2: MPs had 'enormously wrong' cost estimate, says whistleblower |work=BBC News |date=17 December 2018}}</ref> [[Crossrail]] (later branded the [[Elizabeth line]]), which was completed and officially opened in 2022, is Europe's largest infrastructure project with a £15 billion projected cost.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45970956 |work=BBC News |title= Crossrail: London 'to bear cost' of delayed line opening |date=24 October 2018}}</ref>

[[National Highways]] is the [[government-owned company]] responsible for trunk roads and motorways in England apart from the privately owned and operated [[M6 Toll]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.m6toll.co.uk/faqs/default.asp?mainmenuid=6 |title=M6Toll Frequently asked questions |publisher=M6toll.co.uk |access-date=5 September 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113225031/http://www.m6toll.co.uk/faqs/default.asp?mainmenuid=6 |archive-date=13 January 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tackling congestion on our roads |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/introtoroads/roadcongestion/ |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100513053607/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/introtoroads/roadcongestion/ |url-status=dead|archive-date=13 May 2010 |publisher=Department for Transport }}</ref>

In the year from February 2017 to January 2018, UK airports handled a total of 284.8&nbsp;million passengers.<ref name=caastats>{{cite web|url=https://www.caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/Standard_Content/Data_and_analysis/Datasets/Airport_stats/Airport_data_2018_01/Table_01_Size_of_UK_Airports.pdf|title=Size of Reporting Airports February 2017 – January 2018|access-date=12 January 2019|publisher=civil Aviation Authority}}</ref> In that period the three largest airports were [[London Heathrow Airport]] (78.0&nbsp;million passengers), [[Gatwick Airport]] (45.6&nbsp;million passengers) and [[Manchester Airport]] (27.8&nbsp;million passengers).<ref name=caastats/> Heathrow, located {{convert|14 + 1/2|mi}} west of the capital,<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Heathrow+Airport/@51.4700223,-0.4564842,17z|title=London Heathrow Airport}}</ref> has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the world.<ref name="bbc1">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/airports-worlds-busiest-international-passengers-dubai-heathrow-hong-kong-amsterdam-paris-a8194911.html|title=The 10 busiest airports in the world|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=12 January 2019| date=5 February 2018}}</ref> It is the hub for the UK flag carrier [[British Airways]] and [[Virgin Atlantic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=BMI being taken over by Lufthansa |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7697261.stm |access-date=29 June 2011|work=BBC News |date=29 October 2008}}</ref> London's six commercial airports form the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic with 171&nbsp;million passengers in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.anna.aero/2018/08/23/london-airports-handling-44-million-more-passengers-then-2010/|title=London's airports handle 44 million more passengers than in 2010; four of the top five airlines don't serve Heathrow|publisher= Airline Network News & Analysis|date= 23 August 2018}}</ref>