22.08.08
Demand for rail travel increasing as fuel prices surge
Fuel prices driving up demand for rail travel
• Rail industry under pressure to respond
• Railway Interiors Expo 2008 to showcase new solutions
• Expo taking place in Amsterdam on 4, 5, 6 November
Demand for rail travel and other forms of public transport are increasing at an unprecedented rate, says the organiser of Railway Interiors Expo 2008. With fuel prices reaching an all time high in most parts of the world, consumers are finding it increasingly hard to run cars on a daily basis.
In the United States, increased demand has ranged from 3% to 15% on existing transport systems and both central and regional government is under increasing pressure to respond to the demand with improved rail infrastructure and rolling stock. A recent survey in the UK has revealed that 61% of existing car users will definitely or probably leave their cars at home in favour of public transport in the near future. Similar trends are being demonstrated all over Europe.
Many experts predict that the rise in the price of oil is unlikely to be a short term issue, and even if the price reduces by a small margin, running a car is likely to be a more expensive proposition in the future than people have come to expect.
“There is every probability that we are going to see a longterm trend towards the use of rail and mass transit travel. Fuel cost for motoring is one issue, growing congestion and grid-locked roads all over Europe and USA is another” says Tony Robinson, founder of Railway Interiors Expo. “Rail operators have both an opportunity and a requirement to respond, not just by increasing the quantity of trains and rolling stock, but by investing in state of the art carriages that significantly improve capacity, safety and comfort whilst offering the accessories that 2010 commuters will increasingly expect such as Wi-Fi based email and web services along with news and entertainment.”
With the role that improved and technically advanced rolling stock will play in the future efficiency of rail travel, Railway Interiors Expo has never been more important to the industry than it is today. Since its launch, visitor numbers have increased each year as operators and train manufacturers recognize the growing importance of modern, sophisticated interiors and assign greater proportions of their design efforts to cater to this.
Taking place in Amsterdam on 4, 5, 6 November 2008, nearly half of the exhibitors, all key industry players developing the most important new innovations, are choosing the Expo as their only major international rail exhibition appearance.
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