6 projects with huge financial support that will change the world (2020-)
The world we all inhabit relies on built infrastructure. Without it we couldn’t be able to transport food, goods or service, we couldn’t power our homes or access water, and we couldn’t travel or commute. Quite literally enabling our societies to function, the importance of infrastructure has grown significantly in recent years as the global population expands, and as more people than ever are living in cities. Once a rare occurrence multi-billion-dollar infrastructure schemes have now become the norm as governments around the world strive to keep pace with growth, raise living standards and enable further economic development. Pushing engineering to the limits, impacting billions of people and generating some almost unfathomable statistics, these are the largest infrastructure projects currently under construction in the world.
1. Sydney Metro, Australia
I start from Oceania/Australia & the Pacific, where despite decades of successive governments favouring highways and toll roads with significant investment is now being made into mass transit. As a result, the Sydney Metro is currently the largest infrastructure project under construction on the continent. Consisting of 31 new and upgraded metro stations, the project is on track to deliver Australia’s first fully automated rail service. Originating in the city’s northwest, the new line will travel for 66 kilometres, tunnelling under Sydney harbour and the densely developed central business district, before heading back out toward the south-western suburbs. At a total cost of US$ 14.7 billion (AU$21.74 billion). The first phase of the project opened on 26 May 2019 while phase two will complete in 2024.
2. Belt and Road Initiative, China
Widely recognised as one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in human history, China’s vast Belt and Road Initiative aims to better connect the country with its surrounding markets, boosting trade and economic growth. The “road” element of the project will re-trade parts of the historic Silk Road that ran between Europe and Asia for many centuries, while the “belt” aspect will create a maritime link with India and East Africa. The Chinese government believes that the project heralds a “new era of globalisation” which will see countries like Russia, India, Iran, Egypt, and Pakistan benefit from the numerous sub-projects in the overall masterplan. Despite this, many see the scheme as an attempt by the Chinese to further expand their sphere of influence. With an estimated cost of USD $900 billion, across some 68 countries, the Belt and Road Initiative not only aims to connect China with 65% of the global population but to fill the increasing infrastructure gap and accelerate growth across Central and Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
3. Lagos-Kano Railway
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, the country’s colonial-era railway infrastructure has steadily fallen into a state of disrepair with freight and passenger numbers decreasing throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Now, in the wake of the unprecedented growth and the country’s emerging status as an African powerhouse, the Nigerian government is investing billions into replacing and upgrading their rail systems. The largest of these projects is the USD $8.3 billion Lagos-Kano railway, a near 1,000km link that will connect Nigeria’s two largest cities to a number of regional centres and its capital, Abuja, significantly reducing journey times. With Nigeria’s population set to nearly double to 390 million people by 2050, its government will need to continue and even exceed this level of investment in the decades ahead if it is to match growth and raise living standards across the country.
4. Crossrail (Elizabeth Line), UK
While the Grand Paris Express was set to replace Crossrail as Europe’s largest infrastructure project at the end of 208, delays to London’s new railway have awkwardly helped it retain its status. The entire 117-kilometre route runs from Reading and Heathrow in the west, beneath central London and out to Shenfield and Abby Wood in the east. With 41 new and upgraded stations and over 42 kilometres of new tunnels under one of the world’s most historic and densely occupied cities- the project is by far the largest undertaking in Europe, with initial the estimates of USD $19 billion (pounds 15 billion) soaring to US$ 32 billion since work began.
5. 4G Roads and Highway Program, Colombia
The largest infrastructure scheme currently under construction in South America is Colombia’s USD $25 billion fourth-generation (4G) Roads and Highway Programme. Consisting of some 30 major projects from tunnels and bridges to viaducts and an additional 3742 kilometres of highways, the programme aims to improve connectivity across Colombia. While a number of these schemes are largely underway, the programme in its entirety is expected to take a staggering 28 years to complete.
6. California High-speed Rail
Finally, in North America, the controversial USD $77 billion California High-Speed project is expected to cut the rail journey time between San Francisco and Los Angeles to 2 hours and 40 minutes. While the idea of linking these cities by land has been around for many years even forming the basis of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop proposal in 2013. Construction works on the high-speed line only commenced in 2015. Set to form the first stage of California’s larger High-Speed Rail network which will include connections to Sacramento and San Diego. The project is facing severe delays and cost overruns with its initial completion date of 2028 now pushed back to 2033.
References
https://infrastructurepipeline.org/project/sydney-metro/
https://www.theweek.co.uk/81688/when-will-the-elizabeth-line-launch-and-how-much-will-it-cost
https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/colombia-says-it-has-revived-15bn-road-building-pr/
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/californias-77-billion-high-speed-rail-project-is-in-trouble.html?
Research at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
4 年Great to witness them!