Campaign for More Investment in the Railway Network
This campaign has been following the national FoE campaign for a better railway, an essential component of a sustainable transport system. It started with campaign for more investment, and is currently working on fares as part of the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation on rail fares.
A day of action in April 2002 kicked off a campaign to highlight the lack of investment in the railway network planned as part of the government's Comprehensive Spending Review, particularly for areas outside the South East. In July, just weeks before the release of the Comprehensive Spending Review, FoE hear that more money is not planned, and react with a media campaign. Manchester Friends of the Earth, were interviewed on the GMR Breakfast Show, and the story featured in their hourly news bulletins.
- The press release (PDF, 6th July 2002)
- Strategic Rail Authority's recommendations (June 2001) for Greater Manchester rail improvements
We weren't overly impressed with the Chancellor's spending review as announced on 16th July.
Graeme, 21st July 2002
Day of Action on Underinvestment in the Railways
In
mid-April, as part of a week-long national campaign, Manchester Friends
of the Earth and friends took to Victoria Station with a clear message:
the railways are essential to a sustainable transport system and yet
the Government is drastically underinvesting in them.
A giant punch bag was erected, and Richard Dyer (ex Manchester FoE, now campaigner for national FoE) donned the guise of station announcer. Mock announcements such as 'A decent rail system for the North West has been delayed due to incompetence in the Westminster Area', caught the imagination of commuters and media alike. Commuters were given leaflets asking them to send a text message or e-mail to Gordon Brown demanding more investment in the railways.
Nationally, over the whole week, in excess of 4000 of these messages were sent to the Treasury. Locally, this was one of the most successful media campaigns in a long-time, with coverage by 3 radio stations, 2 TV stations and the Manchester Evening News. The lobbying is backed up by research to suggest how the extra money could be found: cuts in road building, increases fuel duty to keep the cost of motoring level, and development of 'congestion charging'. FoE awaits the Government's response.
More information on the national campaign is available on the Friends of the Earth UK Internet site.