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Aviation Environment Federation
NEWS RELEASE
Thursday 27th March 2008
Take the train not the plane and help the fight against climate change!
Influential Westminster MPs' group, rail industry and environment groups
challenge business, Government, institutions and public to slash UK flights
The All-party Parliamentary Sustainable Aviation Group
will today launch and support a major campaign stressing the significant
environmental and productivity benefits of rail travel over flying, challenging
its targets to adopt the tough new Greater London Authority travel policy:
"No air travel, except in exceptional circumstances, to destinations
in mainland Britain and to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Rail should
be the preferred mode for European trips within a 6-hour rail door-to-door
travel time from City Hall for GLA staff."
Lord Faulkner of Worcester, the Sustainable Aviation Group's Chair, said:
"We need to stop talking and start taking real and immediate
action to cut air travel around the UK and go by rail instead. We will
be asking a range of household-name businesses and institutions - including
MPs and environment groups! - to start to reduce their air travel related
CO2 emissions. We will monitor and report back on our efforts in May and
June. If we are serious about getting to grips with climate change, changing
behaviour is vital and that's what we are aiming to do."
Ken Livingstone, The Mayor of London, announced the GLA policy on March
13th 2008, saying:
"Air travel produces two to three times more carbon emissions
than making the same trip by rail, so it is right that we take steps to
reduce flights wherever possible in order to help tackle climate change.
I hope that organisations across London will use this report to swap plane
for train where possible."
The Sustainable Aviation Group event on Thursday 27th March at the House
of Lords sees an authoritative study from TRANSform Scotland,
'The Railways Mean Business', highlighting what the train has to offer
for travel between Scotland and England.
Paul Tetlaw, Chair of TRANSform Scotland, said:
"Most people will be aware of the environmental benefits of rail
but this report shows that using the train offers significant productivity
gains for business.
"For too long, people have focused on flight time as compared to
time on the train as the means of comparison. This is entirely misleading
as it does not reflect overall journey time. Crucially, it fails to recognise
the very real benefits of being able to work on a train journey as opposed
to the fragmented and disjointed nature of a journey by plane.
"We also found that railways could be even better and we make a series
of recommendations to further improve business travellers' experience
when travelling by rail."
Tony Collins, Chief Executive of Virgin Trains, said:
"This comprehensive report gives overwhelming evidence that the
train offers more useful travel time, affordable prices and environmental
benefits. That is why Virgin Trains has beaten off air competition from
Liverpool, taken the vast majority of air/rail traffic from Manchester
to London and is now making significant inroads into the Glasgow-London
market."
Chris Austin, Director of Public Policy at the Association of Train Operating
Companies, will run through their 'Energy and Emissions Statement - 2006/7'.
Chris Austin said:
"Our research shows that rail travel has sharply reduced its
carbon footprint, down 5% in one year and 25% in the last ten years. Regenerative
braking,, where electric trains return energy to the power supply, is
now active on some parts of the network, with savings of up to 20%.. New
diesel engines for High Speed Trains have reduced their fuel consumption
by 15%. The quickest way to move towards meeting emissions targets is
for more people to switch to rail."
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Launch event "Trains not planes - why rail is the clear Business
and Environmental winner". Time & date: 11.00-12.00 Thursday,
March 27th 2008. Venue: Committee Room 4, Committee Corridor, House of
Lords, Westminster, London, SW1A 2LW. Please call Cait Weston on 0207
248 2333 for your invitation and more details.
2. Details of the All-party Parliamentary Sustainable Aviation Group can
be found here: <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi474.htm>.
The AEF provides administrative and research support to the Sustainable
Aviation Group
3. GLA transport policy details can be found here: <http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/climate-change/aviation.jsp>
4. TRANSform Scotland campaigns on sustainable transport issues.
'The Railways Mean Business' report was supported by Virgin Trains. Go
to <http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/info/news/2007/2007-11-21.html>
5. See Virgin Trains press release 'Trains offer business people the solution
to growing airport delays on central Scotland/London routes' 23rd November
2007 - <http://212.104.140.178/mailer.cfm?page=28Gu8H2dk>
6. For more information on ATOC's 'Energy and Emissions Statement 2006/7'
go to: <http://www.atoc-comms.org/admin/userfiles/Energy%20&%20Emissions%20Statement%20-%20web%20version.pdf>
CONTACTS
For more information, media interviews, other contacts and background
please call Jeff Gazzard on 07748 197412 or 01565 653561.
Aviation Environment Federation Broken Wharf House 2 Broken Wharf LONDON
EC4V 3DT Tel: 0207 248 2228.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
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