A dozen infrastructure schemes designed to ease congestion and overcrowding have been either abandoned or postponed until well into the next decade, according to an analysis of Department for Transport figures. The only major addition to the capacity of the network ordered in the past ten years has been an extra lane on the M25, and even this is not due to be completed until 2016.

The Government has repeatedly claimed that rising costs have made new road links, tram networks and rail upgrades unaffordable. But official figures uncovered by the Conservatives reveal that more than £1 billion has already been spent since 2000 without providing any extra capacity.

The most expensive single scheme on the list of stalled projects is Crossrail, the plan for mainline rail tunnels under Central London to relieve congestion on the Central Line. It has cost £254 million since 2001 without an inch of tunnel being dug. The Government has yet to commit itself to fund the £16 billion project and officials privately admit that, even if it goes ahead, it may not be ready until 2020.

Almost £300 million has been spent preparing for tram schemes in Portsmouth, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester that have either been cancelled or greatly reduced in scope. In 2000 John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, promised 25 new tram lines by 2010. So far two have opened: in Nottingham and the London City Airport extension of the Docklands Light Railway.

The Thameslink 2000 project to upgrade the north-south rail route across London was due to open six years ago but is unlikely to be ready for another decade. More than £80 million has been spent on preparatory works at St Pancras, including tunnels that will be boarded up and a station that will remain half-empty.

Another white elephant is Stratford International Station, in East London, which cost £210 million but might never be used by the Eurostar trains for which it was built.

Dozens of road schemes have been delayed or cancelled, including a plan to place the A303 near Stonehenge in a tunnel. More than £20 million has been spent on studies and inquires, but the Government dropped the scheme last year, saying that it was too expensive and that other options would be reconsidered.

The boldest proposal to emerge in recent years was for a 50-mile toll motorway between Manchester and Birmingham to relieve the overburdened M6. But last month the Government abandoned the idea, saying that it would be too expensive.

More than £35 million has been spent on various other feasibility studies and reports that have resulted in no action. A study on a 200mph North-South rail line was completed four years ago but then shelved.

Stephen Glaister, Professor of Transport at Imperial College, said that Labour’s insistence on getting the private sector to invest in transport schemes had resulted in several years of delay.

The £1 billion list does not include £455 million spent on fees and bidding costs for the London Underground Public-Private Partnership, which started two years late and will not create extra capacity on key lines for another five years.

Professor Glaister said: “There has been a lot of talk about the importance of investing in transport, but politicians know that health and education are what count in elections.”

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “The Government has made promise after promise about improving our transport system but has wasted a billion pounds while commuters cram on to even more overcrowded trains and sit in ever longer traffic jams.”

He said that the Conservatives would pay for new tram lines but were unconvinced of the benefits of the existing Crossrail scheme.

The Department for Transport said: “Billions are being invested in transport but things don’t happen overnight.”

Times Recommends

• What makes the perfect mum?
• To keep me stress-free, no more awareness days, please
• What do lottery winners buy?