Trains are fine,- where they exist and provide frequent, fast services, but for many UK domestic journeys they do not. The recently publishd government paper on the 30 year vision for railways in England (Scotland was different,- but they get the money) was another regurgitation of previously announced or long delayed schemes with of course no vision at all. It is in no way linked to environmental issues because the government would have to pay , for example, for new electricification, notably of the Paddington and St Pancras main lines. There is to be no further electrifcation in the forseable future, even of short distances to link up existing lines, and there is to be no attempt made to cope with growth levels already being achieved. In other words the railways are in for make do and mend and an increasing inability to match capacity with demand. They will simply price demand back onto the roads . Joined up thinking? The argument over adding 2 coaches to each of Virgins west coast mainline Pendolinos has been going on for 2 years, during which the easy production facility has closed. The cross country Voyagers are also a coach or two short already and there is no proposal to strengthen them other than by refurbishing a few 20 + year old High Speed trains to add to them. Trains are gaining weight and losing efficiency per passenger to incorporate additional safety measures and disabled facilities and a good number of modern coaches are rotting in military depots as nobody will pay to put them on the tracks. What a difference to the aviation industry which responds to demand by adding more flights or larger aircraft and uses more environmentally friendly turboprops where justified.
David Cameron and pals appear to know nothing of the realities of travel within the UK ( or anywhere for that matter), and nor for that matter do Gordon Brown and company. Ming Campbell and folowers would have us all back in donkey carts travelling no further than village or city boundaries. Transport and the realities of environmental improvement are zones of enormous ignorance to all political parties. Where is the noise about cleaning up power generation, funding scientific research and the rest? What investment is going into improved ATC flows to reduce stacking and ground queuing? Does any politician even understand the importance of these or do the votes lie in being able to say " We are being more punitive than the other lot". How much of the "green passenger taxes are going to scientific research into fuel efficiency, new sources etc? You know the answer.
Aviation must start to fight its corner and tell the world the realities.