Two Recent Letters on Transport

A letter that I sent on Monday, to the Coventry Telegraph:

"It was a catchy photo for a Monday paper, but the launch of the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” isn’t a green victory. Parts from 100 locations around the world go into the 787 -- carbon emissions in getting them to the factory. The 787’s factory is the size of 50football pitches. It’s is the largest building in the world by volume -- carbon emissions to heat and run it. Boeing estimates that, between now and 2025, airlines and shipping companies will need another 27,200 planes - a doubling of today's fleet. Any savings of 20% less fuel per passenger will be swamped by growth. Government has to start making tough decisions about curbing airport capacity, and fares need to show the true environmental cost of flying."

A letter sent on Tuesday to the Coventry Times:

"Arriva is taking over the Cross Country rail franchise from Virgin for the next 8 years. Behind cheery promises (more trains, more staff) lies the fact that Arriva Wales hiked their off-peak fares by over 30% in June 2007. They should be hauled before the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission, not rewarded with a rail franchise! Between 1998 and 2006, train fares rose by an average of 46.2%, whilst motoring for a small family has risen from 41.5 pence a mile in 1997 to 56.2 pence in 2005, a rise of only 26%. We need to reverse this and have an 8-year fares policy from Arriva that encourages people out of cars and onto trains."