by email:
The RAC is predicting 2.3m leisure trips will be made by car today as people set off on their staycations, boosted by good weather and the start of the school holidays.
If the Government is serious about its environmental ambitions, it must make it easier and cheaper for holidaymakers and tourists to travel by train in future.
To encourage more people to choose the train for leisure trips, Campaign for Better Transport is calling for:
* The cost of a return train journey to be cheaper than the equivalent domestic flight
* More services to connect to popular attractions and tourist destinations
* Better onboard facilities including more space for luggage and bikes
* Changes to the way engineering works are scheduled to avoid disruption during busy holiday periods
* Rail timetables and services that adapt to changing travel patterns post-Covid
Cost of rail to be cheaper than domestic flight. Seems unlikely, rail fares rise every year. Possibly achievable if fuel for aviation was taxed as road fuel is.
More services to popular holiday destinations. Seems unlikely,
GWR▸ for example DO serve popular holiday destinations, and fail miserably to cope at busy times. Most families after paying hundreds of pounds to stand for hours on a new shorter train, are likely to vow "never again, fly or drive next time" And as for through services to Minehead, for how many years has this been talked about ? and how many services have run ?
Better on board facilities including cycle and luggage space, recent "progress" has been to withdraw and reduce facilities not to improve them. Look at the degree of dissatisfaction with cycle spaces on GWR, and at the ban on surfboards. And the absence of catering on
SWR» , and near absence on GWR.
Avoid engineering work at holiday times, we shall see but I am not hopeful. Summer bank holiday engineering work is long standing.
Rail timetables that adapt to the post covid world. Yes certainly, it is a splendid excuse to withdraw and reduce services.
