What would help you get on board with greener transport?

When you're catching a train, are you one of those people who leave plenty of contingency time or someone who likes to arrive just minutes before the doors close?

Whichever camp you fall in, the unpredictable timekeeping of trains - in the UK at least - can make getting to your destination a bit of a guessing game.

Travelling by rail is the more environmentally conscious choice.

But when you need certainty, do you still reach for the car keys?

And more importantly, as we strive to cut down carbon emissions, what would help you choose public transport?

Make it the easy choice

“We have to make it easy for people to choose public transport,” says Geoff Ogden, chief transport planning and development officer for Transport for Wales.

The key to achieve that? “Integration, accessibility and reliability,” as Chanchal Samuel, senior geotechnical engineer at Network Rail, says.

“Seamless connections between modes, affordable fares, and real-time information make public transport more attractive,” she adds.

Integration

“If we don’t think about the customer and their requirements, we will never get a solution that works for all,” explains Tom Olliver, mobility director – rail, leading the planning of Qiddiya’s new light metro system in Saudi Arabia.

Public transport needs to account for passenger journeys from their first to last mile, not just station to station.

Hudson Taivo, engineering manager at SYSTRA, a consultancy that specialises in public transport, puts it simply: “When you get to the station, it needs to be easy to travel [onwards] from there without a car!”

Accessibility

“Accessibility isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential,” says Svetlana Joao, a deputy project manager at TYPSA, an engineering and consulting services group.

From a lack of step-free access to infrequent services, there are still obstacles to overcome.

“A good example of something that makes it easier is pay as you go – being able to tap your card to pay and not having to buy tickets is a barrier removed,” says Geoff.

But the cost of tickets alone can be a barrier for some.

Hudson reflects on a local example: “If I commute between, for example, Tamworth and Birmingham, it costs me £10 for tickets, and I need to park my car somewhere for an extra £6. If I use the bus, that will cost £5, and I can travel the whole way.”

But travelling further afield can come with a much higher price tag.

A 7am train to Edinburgh from London will set you back around £88. A flight is about £10 more, but it takes three hours less to get there.

Reliability

At the end of the day, people need to be able to trust that they’ll be able to get from A to B, safely and on time.

The last thing you want is to be stuck somewhere with no other options to get home but what could be a very expensive and highly coveted taxi.

As Hudson says: “If it’s sustainable, it needs to be convenient, too, for people to use it.”

What needs to change?

Mak Chai-kwong, honorary professor at the University of Hong Kong, says: “Transport policies must constantly evolve to keep up with – and ahead of – societal needs.”

He speaks from his experience as Hong Kong’s Permanent Secretary for Development (Works).

Lauren Rodgers, area services manager at Network Rail, agrees: “Long-term, consistent government policy and funding are essential.”

This needs to come alongside “urban planning that prioritises public transport over car dependency”.

Investing in infrastructure, such as public transport, is what turns housing developments into thriving communities, as the ICE has argued.

Steps in the right direction

With a new 10-year infrastructure strategy, a £530bn project pipeline and changes to the planning framework that prioritise integrated developments, it seems the UK is on the right track.

Harriet Hatton, an apprentice at construction company BAM Nuttall, shares how her work to improve rail capacity will help.

As part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade (West), she’s working on widening platforms at stations.

“This means trains can carry more carriages and therefore provide more seats for passengers to use,” she explains.

“And when more people travel by train, it brings more revenue into the network, which feeds back into further improvements.”

“It’s a positive cycle.”

It’s not just about tracks and trains

As Svetlana says, rail is vital to society.

“It’s easy to focus on the negatives like delays, cancellations, or the length of a commute,” she says.

“But what often goes unnoticed is the sheer scale of what rail enables every single day. [It] connects people to jobs, education, healthcare, and loved ones.”

A lot of our experts highlighted just how complex rail is.

“Every train journey relies on a vast network of professionals – engineers, planners, safety experts, and many others – working behind the scenes to keep the system running safely and efficiently,” says Chanchal.

“It’s not just about tracks and trains.” There’s also signalling, rolling stock (carriages), staffing, safety and more.

“Understanding this helps explain why even small changes or delays can have a big impact,” says Lauren, and “why modernising the network is such a challenging, but vital, task”.