To think our public transport system needs a complete overhaul?

The train network is an absolute disgrace. I had to get a train to Manchester airport to go on holiday. On the train up it arrived 10 minutes late so we only had 3 minutes to make our change and had to rush from one platform to another only just getting on to the second train. A lady with a push chair missed making the connection. On the way back the train was again late this time 19 minutes. Then when I got to change station the lift was broken and there was a late platform change so after going to one platform we all had to go back to another platform. I got home feeling totally frazzled after pulling cases around platforms and up and down stairs. It just reminded me why I usually drive.

Free parking is pretty rare in city centres these days, hence why so many are dying. It’s why drivers shun the town centres and go to out of town supermarkets and retail parks instead. Funny that towns which offer free parking are a lot busier and are less likely to die.

We bought tickets to travel from Shrewsbury to Barmouth in August. It originated in Birmingham and had 2 (2!!!!!) carriages which were both full to bursting when it arrived in Shrewsbury.

We got on, there were no seats available and a line of people standing in the aisles-the vestibules were choc a bloc too. It was simply not safe so we decided to get off, along with several other people.
Complained to station staff who said they’d had the same issue all summer. Trains bound for the Welsh coast in August with only 2 carriages. They even offered to pay for a taxi for us to go to Barmouth! Very kind of them but we declined!

We emailed Transport for Wales outlining the situation and asking for a refund. 3 weeks later and we’ve heard nothing. Bloody third world transport!

@Benvenuto Free parking? Only at a supermarket. It might be 1/2 hour free in some places but that means you won’t do much or spend much money. Most towns and cities, you pay.

But the cost of that would be immense. Because private investors in every regulated sector will worry the same may happen to them, and charge a much bigger risk premium for doing anything that involves the UK government.

That then comes back to taxpayers. Or the state finds it has to nationalise everything because private capital won’t invest. We can’t borrow too much more at the moment, so that means either big tax rises or big spending cuts to pay for it all.

This is why Burnham has softened his stance on water nationalisation.

Some lines have been reopened - the proposed extension to the Tyne & Wear Metro will be on a disused line.

I would like to see more closed lines being opened up as cycling (& walking) routes. Partly because this is useful in helping people travel but also as it keeps the line intact for reinstating rail.

The really isn’t any “war on motorists” & it was highly disappointing for James Cleverly to resurrect that phrase earlier this week. Roads get the vast majority of the transport budget & drivers get plenty of perks such as free parking.

It’s hard to judge schemes without knowing a city but what you are describing does sound like bad planning - if councils give planning permission to retail parks then inevitably they are going to attract custom away from the city centre. That said, reopening streets probably wouldn’t decrease the congestion as making it easier to drive just encourages more people to drive.

It’s difficult for councils as they will have reasons to reduce traffic in certain places (eg air pollution hotspots) so will have to take action on that - but without any control over public transport they don’t have the power to offer any “carrots”.

Good point. The war on motorists to get them out of the cars works in some places, but doesn't work in others. Yet councils seem to make no reference to that when they "plan" their town centre improvements, hence why so many town centres have died following "traffic calming", pedestrianisations, one way systems, etc. Just because banning traffic from city centre A has worked well (because of good public transport and other localised factors), it doesn't mean it will work in city centre B. Council officials don't seem to take that into account.

In our closest small city, they've put in a park and ride to the East of the city. Trouble is, no one lives at that end. Everyone lives North, West and South, so they'd have to drive through the city to get to the PNR car park. Utter stupidity. As a result, the buses are usually either empty or only have a couple of people on board, i.e. the very few people who live at that end. Meanwhile, the city centre is grid locked because of an insane one way system around loads of access only, one way (wrong way to be useful) and pedestrianised streets, so all the drivers shun the city centre and go to the out of town supermarkets and retail parks instead. The council's answer is to make even more streets pedestrianised and unbelievably to actually make parts of the one way system access only and for buses only, too!

I think we can ask the government for more money given THEY (including at a more local level councils) are the ones trying to get people to use public transport!

My local council are trying the stick before carrot approach - making city centre parking prohibitively expensive to discourage people from doing so - which would be fine if there was any reasonable alternative. There are about 8 train stations in the west and north of the city, 1 in the south and 0 to the east where I live - despite being right at the city boundaries to the point 5 metres to the right I'd be in the neighbouring county, the nearest station to me IS the city centre one!

I would happily use public transport if there was any to use!

Agree! The branch line from Roscoff- a passenger ferry port!- to Morlaix has been closed for years, with no date for reopening last time I looked.

And walk up mid distance fares (Chartres- Paris and Vannes- Nantes are the couple I attempted) can be even more expensive than in Britain if you're going for a day trip, because they don't have cheap day returns and- if I recall correctly- no walk up child fares.

Whilst I agree, Beeching wasn't the cause, he was the scapegoat, simply doing what the politicians instructed him to do. Any other person appointed to that position would have done virtually the same.

@Parky04 of course a walk up on the day fare is going to be expensive - try the same with a short haul flight. They are deliberately pricing it high as they want people to book in advance on longer distance lines.

I get trains a lot in France and while the TGVs are generally great as noted up thread rural and regional trains can be a disaster - delayed, overcrowded, dirty, insane timetables.

The issue with double deckers in the UK is more the tunnels than the tracks. They're not high enough.

Cars ain't cheap either

Poor transport infrastructure hinders economic growth

I was planning to travel to Taunton today to watch some cricket. I decided not to go due to the cost of the train ticket Absolutely ridiculous!

@PersephoneParlormaid Beeching wrote the report in 1963. The Labour government of Wilson from 1964 carried out the cuts! Remember the railways were government owned. Some lines were clearly superfluous and had few passengers. No point in having a tram with no one using it. 53,000,000 people were wanting cars and motorways. We now have a bigger population and people travel a great deal more.

The old line where I was born has been rebuilt. No trains yet due to union arguments. Track laid over 3 years ago. We are a useless country with big projects.

We’d have a much better system now if Dr Beeching hadn’t closed many railways. Those smaller lines and stations would have made perfect tram systems.

Nottingham has suffered from being bypassed by the east coast mainline in the 19th century.

The tram network might have its faults, but at least it exists due to the determination of the city authorities. Other cities complaining about a lack of light rail could copy the Nottingham method to get one.

City-owned buses also look great if you don’t have them.

The East Coast line needs more capacity to run local services.

Move working patterns to when exactly? The WCML is busy all week. They also need to maintain it, so regardless of how willing you think people will be to go nocturnal, it still needs closing overnight and to run as a two-track railway on Sundays.

HS2 fares will be cheaper than the current fares. It's basic supply and demand - once you remove the constraint on supply, prices will balance out properly.

@DdraigGoch What we need is not to al use rhe trains at the same time. Shift working patterns. Evaluate the need to travel. Yes, let’s decimate the countryside instead because we are incapable of change. You really won’t afford the fares on HS2. Welcome to more destruction if Burnham reinstates if on more borrowed money! It’s madness and we do need to think if travel is vital at peak times. But we don’t.

We need one flat rate - a cheaper one. It's absurd that flight tickets to other countries are cheaper.

People need to be able to move across the country.

The Anytime fares on that route must be some of the worst in the country. This is why we need extra capacity - basic supply and demand economics.

People with disabilities are twice as likely not to hold a driving licence as people without. Take the poster on this thread who suffers from seizures for example. Public transport investment would make a big difference to many lives.