Engineering sector news
Transport network not fit for the future
27/2/2009The UK's unreliable and congested transport network is undermining the long-term competitiveness of business, according to a new report by the Confederation of British Industry.
The report, 'Time to change gear?', assesses the current state of the UK transport network. It rates different modes of transport, according to their reliability and capacity. The road network comes off worst, rated 'poor' and judged to be worsening for both reliability and capacity. More improvement has been made on the railways. Capacity at UK airports is rated 'poor' and getting worse.
CBI Deputy Director-General, John Cridland, said: "Anyone who commutes knows the daily frustrations of bottlenecks and delays on Britain's roads and railways. It is the same for freight, where delays to deliveries equate to lost sales. We need a transport system fit for the needs of the 21st century – faster, more reliable, and lower-carbon. When the upturn in the economy comes, poor transport must not be allowed to hold UK business back."
The report contains a five-point plan, which the CBI says would make a real difference to the UK's transport network, if implemented by the Government.
