Overview of the Uk Transport System Essay Example

Overview of the Uk Transport System Essay Example Overview of the Uk Transport System Essay Overview of the Uk Transport System Essay OVERVIEW OF THE UK TRANSPORT SYSTEM With an integrated system of airports, seaports, rail and road, businesses located in the UK can select the optimal method of moving people and freight between major cities and locations, both within the UK and internationally. The main advantages of the UK transport system include: o Excellent air links to locations all over the world from world-class international airports. o An advanced and comprehensive road system that links all locations throughout the UK. o A privatised rail network linking all locations across the UK and, through the Channel Tunnel, all locations in mainland Europe. Over 100 seaports across the UK, handling the largest volume of seaport traffic in Europe. Private (Cars Motorcycle) Most people in UK travel by car. About 75% of households have at least one car. Motorcycling is popular in UK, both as a means of transport and as a pastime with over one million motorcyclists. A full motorcycle licence can be obtained at the ag e of 17 after passing a test. Public 1. Road The UK has an advanced and comprehensive road transport system, with a total of 394,000 kilometres of roads. There are almost 3,600 kilometres of motorways, all of which are toll-free except for the M6 Toll adjacent to the M6 in Birmingham. Roads and motorways are UKs primary domestic transport routes. The roads are divided up between major and minor roads. a. Taxi Cab We can stop taxis in the street or hire them at a taxi rank. We can also book minicabs by telephoning their office. Taxis have a meter that works out the fare, which is based on how long a journey takes. Minicabs often do not have a meter and are sometimes cheaper. The most famous taxi has to be the black cabs taxi service in London. Black cabs, also known as hackney carriages or hackney cabs, with the for hire sign lit. b. Buses Public transport in the UK is well developed with local bus services throughout the country. In Great Britain, bus services are generally privately owned. In Northern Ireland they are state-owned and operated by  Translink. Discount fares are often available for young people, students and pensioners. Decker United Kingdom has single Decker and double Decker buses. The red double-decker buses in  London  have become a  national symbol  of England. Double-decker buses are in common use throughout the  United Kingdom, and have been favoured over articulated buses by many operators because of the shorter length of double-deckers. We can find them in towns and cities. The main places a bus goes to are shown on the front of the bus. You pay the driver when you go in. On single-deckers you sometimes buy your ticket from a machine in the bus. Most London buses have a conductor who will come round and collect fares. One way of seeing cities major sight is on an open-top double-decker bus. Tickets are valid for 24 hours and allow unlimited ‘hop on/ hop off’ travel. Coaches Coaches travel longer distances, are more comfortable, have separate compartments for luggage and do not stop as frequently as Decker buses. We use coaches for travelling longer distances or for going on school outings. You must buy a ticket before boarding the buses, there are ticket machines at most bus stops/ stations. Bus routes are identified by numbers and sometimes letters. Buses display their number in large digits at the front, side, and rear of the bus. 2. Rail The  railway system of  United Kingdom is the oldest in the world. The UK has the  18th largest railway network in the world  and one of the busiest railways  in Europe. a. Trams Tram is a vehicle which runs on fixed rails and is designed to travel on streets, sharing road space with other traffic and pedestrians. Most tram systems are on reserved tracks (fully segregated alignments), with only short stretches of on-street running. The tracks that a tram runs on are called a tramway; the system itself can be called a tramway system. Tram systems use lightweight vehicles, which operate at lower speeds than onventional rail vehicles. There are eight tramway/ lightrail systems in the UK; in Croydon, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham and Blackpool. The stops or stations can be closer to the places they serve, and to other modes of transport at interchanges, than heavy rail routes. b. Light Rail The term light rail is used to describe railway opera tions using smaller vehicles which have a lower capacity and lower speed than conventional railways; light rail infrastructure is designed to be cheaper to build and maintain. Light rail is an intermediate transport mode, catering for short intra- and inter-urban journeys- stops are generally closer together than commuter railways but further apart than local bus routes. Light rail systems almost universally feature electric power, although there are a very small number of diesel light rail vehicles. c. Subway/ Metro Some light rail systems are referred to as Metros. Metro is a term which can be used to describe a high-frequency inter- or intra-urban railway system, which is entirely or largely separate from other main line railway operations. Metro systems feature sections of underground railway and underground stations. Metros can use either conventional heavy rail technology (heavy metro) or modern light rail technology (light metro). Underground railway systems operate in London, Glasgow, and Liverpool. An example in Britain of heavy metro would be the London Underground; examples in Britain of light metro are the Tyne and Wear Metro and the Docklands Light Railway. The London underground railway system (or tube, as it is known locally) is probably the quickest way of getting round the capital. Londons tube network covers the largest area of any underground rail system. The tube runs to all areas of central and greater London, connecting all mainline stations. 3. Air Transport The UK has the largest air transport system in Europe. Air transport is the most popular mode of transport for visitors both to and from the UK. Air transport in the United Kingdom  is the commercial carriage of passengers, freight and mail by aircraft. a. Airport The leading airports in the UK are: London Heathrow: the largest and busiest international airport in Europe and the third largest globally, handling over 65 million passengers a year. Ninety airlines fly to 179 destinations worldwide, operating an average of 1,250 flights a day. The airport is situated 15 miles west of London and has five terminals, terminal 5, used exclusively by  British Airways. London Gatwick: the busiest single-runway airport in the world, with over 32 million passengers handled each year. Ninety airlines fly to 213 different destinations, operating an average of over 700 flights a day. The Airport is situated 27 miles to the south of the city centre. Manchester Airport: the third largest airport in the UK, handling 22 million passengers each year. Over 100 airlines fly to 225 different destinations, operating an average of 600 flights a day. Other major international airports in the UK include Birmingham International, London Stansted, London Luton, Nottingham East Midlands, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Newcastle, Robin Hood Airport (Sheffield), Cardiff and Belfast International. b. Airlines Passengers The majority of all passengers travelling by air to or from the UK are carried by UK  airlines, British Airways, and easyJet. The most famous British aeroplanes of all time have to be the Comet and Concorde. Even now, Concorde excites much admired for its beautiful design. Just over a fifth of all terminal passengers are travelling on domestic routes only, whilst half are travelling between the UK and the rest of the  European Union. Just over a quarter of all passengers are travelling on business. 4. Water Transport The United Kingdom is home to a vast network of  waterways. These are navigable bodies of water in various forms such as  canals,  rivers  and  lakes. Natural rivers and lakes were the first waterways to be used for the transportation of people and goods. a. Canals The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today’s role for recreational boating. b. Harbour/Ports The UK ports and harbours industry is one of the largest in Europe, with over 100 active ports operating across the UK. Major international ports such as Tilbury, Southampton, Immingham and Liverpool have container-handling facilities, so goods can be transferred efficiently to other ships, or road or rail transportation. Ports trading with continental Europe such as Dover, Portsmouth and Harwich all have well-developed roll-on/roll-off ferry services to allow goods and materials to be delivered by road. Other ports specialise in general cargo, passenger traffic and fishing. c. Ferries Passenger ferries are widely used for cross-Channel services. Ferries from the UK also sail to Scandinavia, Ireland and Britains various offshore islands. Roll-on/roll-off ferries carry road vehicles between ports in the UK and mainland Europe. These ferries are a fast and efficient way to ship road freight across the English Channel and North Sea. d. Cargo Ships General cargo ships are used for break-bulk and mixed-load cargoes. Specialised bulk carriers are the most efficient way to carry grain, minerals, coal and similar heavy goods. Bulk liquid tankers carry oil, liquefied gas, wine and other liquids. Dry-freight boxes carry every kind of dry product, from electrical equipment to clothing. There are also refrigerated containers, tank containers for carrying liquids and special containers for carrying non-standard cargoes.