According to the Labour Party website the Labour Party have achieved the following in their time in power:
Why Labour?
Labour is developing a modern, efficient, sustainable transport network in Britain, which balances the needs of the economy, the environment and individuals. This is backed by long-term planning, sustained long-term funding, and improved transport management.
For the first time in over half a century, there is a fully funded plan for rail which will allow for double today’s level of passengers and freight over the next 30 years. We are giving local authorities more powers to ensure that local transport meets the needs of local people, ensuring quality bus services and tackling congestion. And in addition, since April 2008, 11 million older and eligible disabled people have been entitled to free off-peak bus travel anywhere in England.
Britain is the first country in the world to have a target to limit aviation emissions. Much of the proposed expansion at Heathrow will only be allowed to go ahead on the condition that air quality noise and carbon emissions reductions are on track – the government will act on the advice of the Committee on Climate Change.
Key achievements:
* Announced in December 2008 an extra £1 billion investment in major transport projects to stimulate the economy, by accelerating Government plans to cut congestion and significantly increase rail capacity.
* Committed £5.5 billion for Thameslink, £600 million to improve stations at Birmingham New Street and Reading, plus £150 million for the refurbishment of 150 other key stations.
* Secured the funding deal for Crossrail, which will enable 200m passenger journeys a year; add 30,000 high value jobs in London within the first 10 years of its operation and add an estimated £20bn to the UK’s GDP.
* Introduced free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England for the over-60s and eligible disabled people.
New Labour, your Britain:
* We will deliver over 1,300 new carriages for our rail network between now and 2014 – nearly 100,000 more train seats.
* We are creating a simplified structure of rail fares and ticket types, with one name for each type of ticket across all operators.
* We are providing local authorities with more flexibility and powers to address congestion and improve local transport like buses.
* We support the sustainable growth of aviation – supporting British business and holidaymakers while ensuring we strike the right balance between our economic, social and environmental goals. Working in the EU – not against it – we have secured the inclusion of aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme.
Labour Party Transport Policy :http://www.labour.org.uk/transport
I would be interested to hear both positive and negative views on Labour’s Transport policies in the comments below?