George Osborne’s assertion in his conference speech that the Conservatives are the political “builders” included references to billions of pounds worth of infrastructure projects. The chancellor will struggle to match his words with deeds because it is much easier to make the case for an expensive project than to build one.

Nonetheless, he made the case for a new generation of ambitious schemes. But will they ever see the light of day?

HS3 and the northern rail links

What the government is saying: The first job of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will be, said Osborne, to work out “how we are going to make a reality of HS3, the new link we want across the northern powerhouse”.

Analysis: HS3 is a curious misnomer – at least when compared to HS2. The trains that would be introduced to run across the Pennines from Manchester to Leeds would almost certainly be conventional trains, no faster than seen on British mainlines now. However, that would be a vast improvement on the current services and rolling stock. Electrification of the Transpennine route was “unpaused” last week by Network Rail, sparing Osborne’s blushes, as the pledge he made last autumn for HS3 looked to be undermined.

The exact way in which those links are improved is still in planning, but it was made a priority not just by Osborne, but in a key report from David Higgins, the ex-Network Rail boss now chairing HS2. Making that corridor a fast, efficient route would shorten journey times between cities across the north from Liverpool to Newcastle.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin was also able to trumpet the overhaul of Manchester Victoria, the railway station whose £44m refurbishment is complete and officially reopens on Tuesday.

Crossrail 2

What the government is saying: The commission’s other intray job is, said Osborne, “working with London on the next big public transport projects after Crossrail, and how we are going to fund them”.

Analysis: While Patrick McLoughlin listed “finishing and opening” Crossrail – the high-capacity east-west lining running under London linking the likes of Heathrow and Canary Wharf en route – as a Tory achievement, it was passed and started under Labour. Lord Adonis – who resigned the Labour whip on Sunday to chair the NIC – was a transport minister when construction began in 2009, and he has been an early champion of Crossrail 2.

This would be a similar line linking north-east and south-west London, via Euston, and also running out to the suburbs and home counties, bringing yet more people within a quick commute of the centre. Crossrail 2 is a bastardised version of the Hackney-Chelsea tube line that has been long discussed, with land in central London safeguarded, and there is now great impetus in the capital to get it built.

Heathrow third runway

What the government is saying: The chancellor made no direct reference to the airport debate, but promised not to duck difficult decisions and asked rhetorically: “Where would Britain be if we had never built railways or runways ... Where will be in the future if we stop building them now?”

Analysis: More directly, the transport secretary promised a decision by Christmas, and said: “Sir Howard Davies commission has produced a powerful report” – unusually positive language when ministers have previously downplayed his unequivocal backing for Heathrow, and portrayed it as a decision to be made between the west London hub and Gatwick, which wants a second runway.

The mood music seems to be changing and some senior Tories close to the debate now seem resigned to an eventual decision to build a third runway at Heathrow, despite the opposition of ministers whose constituencies are under the flightpath. There will also be a negotiation over who foots the bill for the remodelling of roads – including the M25 – and squaring the increasingly vexed problem of air quality, should Osborne have his way with Heathrow.

HS2

What the government is saying: Osborne said “there are some people in my constituency who want to stop our new high-speed railway.... I respectfully disagree.”

Analysis: The £50bn HS2 project is increasingly seen as a fait accompli, although spades are not yet in the ground and parliament has not entirely voted it through. The chancellor recently launched bidding for the first major construction contracts, on a tour of China, and full royal assent for the first phase of the high-speed line, from London to Birmingham, is expected next year for completion in 2026.

Energy

What the government is saying: The NIC will help take the politics out of major energy projects. Osborne said it will be “set up in law and free from party arguments”.

Analysis: It is a good idea, as Labour said too when they proposed it. “Energy policy needs to be considered over 30-, 40-, 50-year cycles, but governments only exist over five-year cycles,” said Peter Aldous, Conservative MP who is critical of the current energy policy “void”, which follows a series of cuts and reversals from Tory ministers. “Somehow we need to take the politics out of it.”

He said former Labour cabinet minister Lord Adonis might be able to do that. One big question is whether Lord Adonis’s NIC will feel emboldened enough to make proposals that conflict with government policy. And if so, will ministers listen?

The other big question is speed. The UK’s energy infrastructure is ageing and global warming is rising and all sides agree action is urgently needed. So a long wait for the NIC’s decisions would be very uncomfortable for all. “We can’t afford to wait, but I am afraid that we are going to have to,” said Dave Sowden, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Association.