We have a long way to go to integrate bus and rail

It was an enjoyable train trip on a sunny day, but sadly it showed just how poor co-ordination is between bus and rail services in the UK

Dr. Paul Salveson played a leading role in the formation in the late 1990s of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP). In 2005, he joined Northern Rail as head of government and community strategies and in 2008 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the rail industry. This year he joined Grand Central as external relations manager

Dr. Paul Salveson played a leading role in the formation in the late 1990s of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP). In 2005, he joined Northern Rail as head of government and community strategies and in 2008 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the rail industry. This year he joined Grand Central as external relations manager

An example of good integration between bus and train is the Tyne & Wear Metro and Go North East’s MetroLink M1 service. To promote closer links between these two services, the Scania/Wrightbus M1 buses have been given a livery in Metro’s trademark yellow, complete with the familiar Metro ‘M’. M1 service frequency has also been increased from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes. Metro users arriving at Heworth will effectively have a Metro extension as far as Houghton-le-Spring

An example of good integration between bus and train is the Tyne & Wear Metro and Go North East’s MetroLink M1 service. To promote closer links between these two services, the Scania/Wrightbus M1 buses have been given a livery in Metro’s trademark yellow, complete with the familiar Metro ‘M’. M1 service frequency has also been increased from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes. Metro users arriving at Heworth will effectively have a Metro extension as far as Houghton-le-Spring

I’d like to share some experiences I’ve had looking at how buses and trains interact with each other (or don’t, more to the point). I’ll focus on a particular route - ‘somewhere up North’. I’m not going to tell you where it is, as it’s unfair to the bus and train operators, and local authorities along the route. I don’t believe it’s much better anywhere else. However, if you do guess the line I’ll award you a Grand Central pen as...