It's been a case of planes, trains and automobiles this past fortnight as various appointments have taken me the length and breadth of the country.

Mainly, it's been to meet developers interested in setting up in the North-East, but the travelling has the added benefit - if that's the word - of giving me first-hand experience of our public transport network.

Regular readers will know I am very much into a "reduction agenda" as I feel masses of resources can be saved if we all do our bit: whether it's cutting crime, reducing the consumption of fatty foods, alcohol and cigarettes or cutting down on litter.

I also urge people to do their bit to reduce pollution but, based on my recent experience, I can understand why commuters are reluctant to trust public transport.

I was due to outline my reduction agenda at Cambridge University and decided to practice what I preach by letting the train take the strain.

Unfortunately it was the passengers who were strained to their limits when the train finally limped into Peterborough station. There were no refreshment facilities on board and the toilets were an absolute disgrace.

We arrived late, meaning I'd missed my connection for Cambridge. So I had no choice but to walk over the bridge to the opposite platform and catch the next train back to Darlington - what a complete waste of a day.

Next up was a meeting down south which required a flight to Heathrow. Nothing much you can do about early morning fog, but it meant a frustrating two-hour delay.

The problem was that this seemed to knock the whole system askew like a line of dominoes. There seemed no way to catch up the arrears and my return flight that evening was also delayed by a couple of hours even though the fog was long gone.

Trains now compete price wise with the car but it is reliability and comfort that lets them down. Many of the lines in use have barely changed since Stephenson's day. Our trains are running on lines designed for Victorian times and the stations are from the Dark Ages.

Look abroad and it is often a different picture with national transport networks integrated for modern times.

A colleague recently visited Switzerland and took the train from Zurich to catch a connection in Lucerne. Because it is second nature over here, he asked when the next connection was in case the first train was delayed.

The guard was genuinely shocked. "In Switzerland the trains are never late," he said - and he was right. The trains are also clean, you can get a cup of tea and a fall of snow doesn't bring the system to its knees.

Britain's regional airports seem to be enjoying something of a boom with more and more flights being offered at competitive prices.

The Government needs to act now and work with private companies to ensure the mistakes of the railways are not repeated in the air.

We need to properly address the failings of the rail system and ensure air flights continue to expand but as part of a national integrated transport network.

I still want to encourage people to get out of their cars but I have to admit when I travel to the rearranged Cambridge University appointment it will be as a motorist.

Published: 24/12/2004