Capacity and investment are key issues for UK's transport sector

This year’s UK transport journalists annual survey explored journalists' views on key issues facing the transport sector. Overall, it found their overriding concern is one of capacity and investment across road, rail and air.

London’s air capacity is the single, most important transport issue to journalists. However, they are divided on where the increased capacity should be. Multiple issues in the rail sector continue to be top of mind with journalists generally agreeing on the rail policies that the government should pursue or continue. Road related issues are slightly below rail and aviation in journalists’ concerns and priorities.

Rail

• Issues that should be the highest priority for Government include addressing overcrowding on existing train services which comes top (52%), reducing the cost of travelling by train (40%) and investing to improve the reliability of existing train services (38%)
• Continued investment in rail (44%) and favourable mentions of high speed rail/HS2 (36%) are the main reasons why 40% agree that they are satisfied with the present Government’s transport policies

Air

• A third (32%) say that capacity at London’s airports is the most important current issue in the transport sector, the joint highest mention, alongside a lack of investment in general
• However, there is disagreement on where this capacity expansion should be. Building an additional runway at Gatwick is the most supported option with 52% in support and 14% in opposition, followed by expansion at Heathrow (51% for and 29% against)

Road

• A quarter (24%) say that capacity/congestion/traffic on roads is a major transport issue and 22% mention a lack of investment and deteriorating infrastructure

For more detailed findings, please download the report (PDF).

Technical Note

Ipsos conducted 63 face to face interviews with UK journalists who write about transport issues for a mixture of the national press, regional press and transport sector specific publications. The fieldwork was conducted between 10th June and 27th July 2014.