Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to the first issue of Transport for 2014. The new year often signals the start of forward planning in the transport sector with a new financial year on the horizon and the need to prioritise planned spending for major projects. Ensuring that the strategic network is designed, constructed and maintained with a view to the long-term needs of the sector, including environmental and financial sustainability, has become a high priority in many countries. In addition, the recent decision to proceed with the High Speed 2 railway in the UK has drawn particular attention to the long-term needs of the rail sector. It is perhaps timely that this first issue of the new year contains a group of five papers concerned with research related to the strategic transport network.