Passengers face a long wait for train service to improve

Monday, June 30th, 2008

According to Network Rail, the company that owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, passengers are likely to face severe overcrowding, longer journeys and no new lines before they see any substantial improvements to the network. In short, for the country’s already beleaguered rail travellers, things will get considerably worse before they get better.

A new study to be commissioned by Network Rail will be the third of its kind in a decade to look into the feasibility of high-speed rail lines. Notwithstanding the urgent need for improvements and expansion of the rail network, and particularly the need for high-speed routes, the government is failing to commit sufficient funds or strategize adequately for the network’s future.

Passenger demand for rail travel continues to show strong growth, due in part to the high cost of housing in London and fuel prices, with a 45% increase in passenger numbers in the past decade alone. But due to constraints on the network’s capacity, there has only been an increase of around 20% in the number of trains.

Not only will passengers face worsening service in train travel, but they will have to shoulder a larger share of its cost, as the government plans to reduce public funding by £1.5 billion a year – by 2014 passengers will have to pay three-quarters of the cost, as opposed to their current 50% share (the cost is now split evenly between farepayers and taxpayers). 

Network Rail’s new study will look at the costs and benefits of new lines on five inter-city routes. But the company admitted that a high-speed network was unlikely to be built soon, due to funding constraints and environmental considerations. Instead, the focus will be on a few short stretches of routes operating at conventional speed, with the aim of relieving the worst points on long-distance routes, such as London to Peterborough, Rugby and Swindon.

The government’s plan to expand rail capacity by 22.5% by 2014 will fall far short on some routes, which are growing by 10% a year, said Iain Coucher, the chief executive of Network Rail. Current government measures to try and meet demand, such as lowering fares to encourage off-peak travel, would also be inadequate in the longer term.

Faced with longer delays, longer journey times and increased costs, travellers may find that driving to their destination will seem an increasingly preferable option – at least until they start to see tangible, cost-effective and time-saving improvements to the country’s rail and other public transport networks.

For press enquiries, please contact Peter Cooper on 020 7038 3970

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News provided by 24 7 Parking Ltd, a leading marketing services provider to the car parking industry in the UK, and a leading de facto marketplace for buyers and sellers, or lessees and lessors, of car parking spaces.

24 7 Parking carries out daily surveys of the national media to provide up-to-date news and commentary on UK transport.

London status in global marketplace under threat

Monday, June 30th, 2008

According to a recent survey by the CBI and KPMG, some 60% of London’s senior executives believe that London is falling behind as one of the world’s leading business centres. Besides the general economic slowdown caused by the global credit crunch and the greater difficulties in raising finance, the respondents cited a number of other specific problems that are threatening London’s ability to compete successfully with other major centres.

These problems include a shortage of skills – with 72% of employers complaining that they are unable to fill certain skilled jobs – government incompetence regarding non-domiciled tax reforms, and, to a very large degree, problems with the city’s public transport system.

Some 90% of business leaders see the public transport problems as negatively impacting their businesses, and 37% believe that these are going to get worse. Although London’s new mayor, Boris Johnson, has promised to tackle the problems of London’s traffic and transport as a priority, both businesses and the general public continue to bear the brunt of a chronically underfunded and poorly managed transport system.

As Richard Reid, chairman of KPMG London, noted, “Many of [the survey’s] findings should be setting off alarm bells for policy-makers that urgent action is needed to tackle the weaknesses that will compromise London’s reputation and competitiveness”, adding that improving transport links was the key to “maintaining London’s world-class status”.

Until adequate changes to the system are put into effect, which are likely to take some time, driving into the city remains a preferable option for many businesses and individuals, particularly for those able to take advantage of contract parking services that guarantee them a secure and reliable parking space without having to contend with the threats of clamping, fines and other restrictive parking regulations.

For press enquiries, please contact Peter Cooper on 020 7038 3970

Email: info@247parking.com

Web: www.247parking.com

News provided by 24 7 Parking Ltd, a leading marketing services provider to the car parking industry in the UK, and a leading de facto marketplace for buyers and sellers, or lessees and lessors, of car parking spaces.

24 7 Parking carries out daily surveys of the national media to provide up-to-date news and commentary on UK transport.

Western extension of c-charge zone disastrous for residents

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Amid angry protests from residents, traders, shopkeepers, and local councils, Boris Johnson is under pressure to scrap the western extension of the congestion charge zone. The mayor promised to hold a referendum on the matter during his election campaign and said he is now working with Transport for London to hold the poll within the coming months.

The extended zone covers Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill and Pimlico, but those living on the periphery of the zone claim to be the hardest hit, as they are not eligible for a discount on the daily £8 charge. Furthermore, parking problems have been severely exacerbated in those peripheral areas.

“The western extension has caused parking gridlock and outrage in west London,” said Nicholas Botterill, deputy leader and cabinet member for the environment. He called the scheme “a body blow for local businesses” and called for it to be scrapped immediately.

The local council’s investigation into the effects of the extension showed that small businesses, such as estate agencies, florists and dry cleaners, are losing thousands of pounds annually to make short trips of less than a mile. Many of these businesses have also lost major channels of income and business as they cannot afford the daily £8 charge – for example, an estate agent in Shepard’s Bush said that they had to give up some of their properties inside the zone because they could not afford the charge just to show those properties to customers.

At Shepherd’s Bush market, which falls just outside the extended charging zone, store owners and traders say that business is down 50% since the extension came into force, and that if things continue at this rate London’s oldest street market may have to close.

So all eyes are now on what Mr Johnson will do to fix this problem – and everyone in the areas badly affected by the extension are hoping he will fix it quickly.

Congestion charge planned for Manchester

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

The government has backed in principle plans to introduce a congestion charge in Manchester as part of a far-reaching package of improvements in public transport.

In a bid to tackle the city’s growing volume of traffic, the scheme has been proposed by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), and involves introducing congestion charges for motorists driving into and out of the city centre. The scheme will apply to the busiest roads in the morning and evening rush-hour periods, and could amount to £5 per journey – £2 to enter an outer cordon around the M60 (which encircles the city), another £1 to journey into the centre and a further £1 to leave each of the zones.

Motorists will pay nothing outside of the two busiest periods, and even within those periods no fee will be charged for journeys which do not pass a charging point.

Certain groups – such as essential services vehicles – would be exempt from the charge,  while others – such as vulnerable groups and delivery drivers – would either receive a discount or pay a capped rate.

Besides reducing congestion and the growing demand for road space in the city centre, a chief aim of the scheme is to raise money to help pay for improvements to public transport. The city hopes to get £1 billion from the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF), and borrow a further £2 billion from it, as part of a much larger transport plan for Greater Manchester, which, besides the congestion charge, includes extending the Metrolink tram system by 22 miles, increasing train and bus services, and a number of other improvements. The government, which has already approved the scheme in principle, said it would contribute £1.5 billion towards the package of new measures.

Not surprisingly, the proposal was not welcomed by motoring groups, who see it as just the start of a slippery slope towards more and more charges for drivers. The Manchester Against Road Tolls (MART) group said that the day of the announcement was “a bad day for drivers all over Britain”, and the group has launched a number of petitions against the scheme throughout Greater Manchester.

The proposal will go through a public consultation phase before being put to the government for official approval, and could be in place by 2012.