City's transport links have not improved
WITH the welter of letters and articles to the Herald of recent times, it is with some hesitation that I make a further contribution.
However, as I was the officer in the Plymouth City Council with responsibility for bringing in new investment into the city from the early '70s to the early '90s, I feel I have a contribution to make to the present situation.
Historically, Plymouth has always been remote and is only the size it is today because of the enormous expansion of the Naval Dockyard at the turn of the 20th century.
Despite its position in the country, the early '70s saw Plymouth holding its own in relation to the rest of the country in terms of new transport improvements with the dulling of the A38, the development of new air routes by Brymon Airways including four a day into Heathrow, the introduction of high speed trains and the start of Brittany Ferries to the continent.
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Since then Plymouth transport links to the rest of the country have stayed static or gone backwards at a time when the rest of the country has progressed.
Most major cities in the country now have air services to other parts of the UK and number have services to Europe.
Equipment and line improvement on the railways have gone forwards in other parts of the UK whereas we have been left with trains 30 years old with hardly any progress to the times of rail services in and out of the city.
We live today, more and more, when the decision makers and the investors need to move rapidly around the country and with the least hassle.
At the moment we are at the end of the line as far as investors are concerned. Good communications to the city are as important as the air we breathe and if we are to gain the jobs that the city talks about then air communications in and out of the city are vital.
The council say it is not going to make any contribution to the cost of running the airport but to the future life of this city the airport is as important as any other facet of life that the council supports.
Recently, Sutton Harbour said that its proposed redevelopment of the airport was an opportunity of a lifetime.
I would say that the continuation of an airport and air services are the real opportunity of a lifetime for the city.
GRAHAM JONES
Hartley
Comments
by timplymouth
Monday, September 10 2012, 10:25PM
“*dug up”
by timplymouth
Monday, September 10 2012, 10:24PM
“Some of our train services have actually got worse. If you remember when Virgin used to run the CrossCountry services, they did so exclusively using the Voyager(220) trains which are modern and have quite good acceleration. CrossCountry(Arriva) have bug up some old Intercity 125 trains for use on the franchise and guess where they use them? That's right, to Plymouth! If you take a look at the timetable from Plymouth to Taunton you can quite clearly see which of the CC services use the Intercity 125s because they take just as long as the FGW trains do. The Voyager units seem to take about 10 minutes less to do the same stretch. Doesn't sound like much but when you add it up over the total length of the journey it can make a significant difference.”
by raglanron1
Monday, September 10 2012, 12:06PM
“Yes a very interesting letter, and the more so to read that whilst we were innovative thirty years ago we've slipped back in what we accept. We all need keeping up to the mark. Changes take time, but big thinkers travel by air hiring small aircraft to develop their businesses. We need to offer that facility here. We also need to keep up the pressure on the rail links. Faster services. Until we get an airport a dedicated coach link to Exeter Airport. An improved road to Exeter. An improved road to Tavistock (hooray for the cycle path newly completed at least). An alternative rail link across the moors bypassing Dawlish and linking us again to Tavistock.”