Rail

Rail services can be a lifeline in rural areas.  Photo: © CPRE 

Record numbers of people are travelling on trains and the system is creaking under the strain.  Fares are shooting up while the cost of driving goes down, creating a growing gap in affordability. Plans for a network of high speed lines have got the green signal, while smaller schemes that could unlock travel the English regions seem to be stuck in a siding going nowhere. 

Our vision is for a railway renaissance, including a big increase in passenger and freight as well as the length of the rail network itself.  But this expansion must be planned carefully.  Not just for it to remain affordable for the traveller and safeguard the countryside but also for it to tackle car dependence and rising carbon emissions.

> Map of UK rail network (external site)