Where the Liberal Democrats stand on key transport issues...

High Speed Rail

Have pledged to provide a comprehensive high speed rail network that would serve all parts of Britain. The Lib Dems claim that they are the only party that has been clear about how they would pay for high speed rail. They propose to introduce a new lorry road user pricing scheme, which they claim would bring in around £2bn per year, even after the cost of running such a scheme is taken into account.

Railways

Would introduce 22-year franchises to encourage investment in rolling stock, but with regular five-yearly reviews Success would be measured by passenger-orientated outputs, not micro-managed inputs. To avoid another East Coast-style failure, they would make GDP part of cap and collar. They would also expand the conventional rail network by re-opening 14 lines at a cost of more than £1bn.

Network Rail

Would replace Network Rail’s current members’ structure with a Public Interest Board to make the company more accountable. This board would operate like the BBC Trust - checking on overarching policies, measuring high-level delivery, and setting management salaries/bonuses.  The Lib Dems would also introduce legislation to make Network Rail subject to Freedom of Information, and would refund passengers diverted onto buses.

Light Rail

The Lib Dems believe that light rail is a perfect example of something that could be funded from a National Infrastructure Bank. This would be an institution with guarantees provided by the government but managed by professionals, not the state. The Lib Dems claim that the PFI mechanism used for funding tram schemes in the UK means the initial cost is high and this scares off potential investors.

Bus

Would reverse deregulation and implement a system of greater local control, giving ITAs and local authorities the power to control their own services. The Lib Dems say they would also encourage greater use of innovation to improve integrated ticketing. They say it is estimated that the introduction of the Oyster card within London led to a 10% increase in people using the Tube, and 20% using buses, within 10 years.

Aviation

Oppose any expansion of aviation in the South East. To encourage people to ditch short haul air journeys, the Lib Dems would implement a surcharge on non-lifeline domestic flights. They would also replace the Air Passenger Duty with a pollution charge (Aviation Duty) on each flight. This is intended to encourage fuller planes and earlier replacement of old aircraft, and act as an additional incentive to reduce fuel burn.

Road Pricing

The Lib Dems say they will make a commitment to road pricing in their manifesto. They say that reform of the price paid for motoring would better reflect its carbon impact and encourage modal shift. They are minded to plump for a tag-and-beacon system due to its comparative simplicity. In exchange for introducing this scheme, the Lib Dems would reduce the cost of fuel duty and abolish Vehicle Excise Duty.