Transport infrastructure projects that will help you explore once you reach your new location

One of the things you will need to do when relocating is to research the destination before you settle in. Searching the best local restaurants, theatres and cultural centers are part and parcel of making your new abode feel more like a real home. As you become more comfortable, you’ll increasingly be able to think of further exploration. Good transport connections can bring weekend city breaks and exotic vacations. We’ve gathered some ambitious infrastructure projects from around the world that are opening new routes and new destinations for travelers. 

If you’re moving to the U.K., it’s very easy to become shortsightedly attached to London, nevertheless, there are attractions to be seen beyond the nation’s capital. To increase the economy in the north of the country, a high-speed rail network is under construction. Plan to be ready in 2026, the HS2 will make Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds more reachable, with trains running up to 14 times an hour. 

In central Europe, not even the Alps can stand in the way of your weekend escape, thanks to a 94 mile tunnel through the mountains that is opening up rail connections from northern Italy to the Netherlands. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, which has been in construction for the past 17 years, is currently taking some passengers trains through Switzerland and should be fully operational by 2020.

Working and living in Hong Kong, it’s can sometimes feel isolated from Greater China. However, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is set to open later this year, will link together the three major cities of the Pearl River Delta. The bridge and tunnel network features three cable-stayed bridges, including the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built, an undersea tunnel and three artificial islands, costing an estimated US$ 15.9 million.

Airport expansion across Australia is increasing options for travel in the region. Brisbane has opened a new runway to double capacity by 2020 and Perth has unveiled an AU $2.5 billion expansion plan that will be enacted over the next seven to 10 years. Also, with non-stop services now available from New York and London to Perth and Sydney, round-the-world travel is becoming more accessible and Australia no longer seems a world away from Europe and the U.S. 

Moving to the Middle East opens both Europe and Asia Pacific as destinations because of the great number of flights that make their way through this flying hub. Dubai has set about extending Al Maktourm International to create the world’s largest airport. Once the US$ 42 billion project is complete, the airport will be able to process more than 220 million passengers a year. More than double the capacity of Atlanta, which is currently the world’s busiest airport.

The Etihad Rail Project, costed at around US $11 billion, will unite the seven Emirates with a single rail network. This 1,200 kilometer network is expected to be a driver of growth in the region over the next 10 years and represents some of longest laying of track in the region since the days of the Ottoman Empire.

Wherever your destination is, make sure you know how well connected your new location is and what potential plans are driving growth in the surrounding regions and think where you’d like to go next!