Rail travel from Harlow to London could get a boost from new rail investment proposals launched by the Liberal Democrats.

Longer trains and platforms for London commuter lines are among the projects listed as worthy of support from a new Future Transport Fund which could deliver an extra £12 billion of investment in the rail network over the next five years. The Fund is part of radical Liberal Democrat proposals to move towards a 'carbon free' transport system.

Harlow Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Chris Millington, himself a regular commuter from Harlow Town station, said:

"This is great news for local rail services. We have been waiting for improvements to rail services into London from Harlow for a long time.

Across Britain, more people are travelling on the railways than at any time since the 1940s - and the network was much larger in those days. Overcrowding is a big problem in many areas at peak times. This is despite rail fares continuing to rise in real terms, while the cost of motoring continues to fall.

The government's rail white paper last month was vague and unambitious. The Conservatives have nothing to offer our rail services - it was their botched privatisation that is largely responsible for the current combination of high fares and underinvestment.

By contrast the Liberal Democrat plan would double rail investment across Britain, not just improving existing services, but providing new ones, including potential new north-south and east-west lines to the high-speed standard enjoyed on the continent. And as we expand the network we would reduce the cost of fares to passengers, getting even more people onto rail and off the roads, reducing carbon emissions produced from transport dramatically.

The Future Transport Fund we propose will provide ring-fenced funding for the improvements that future generations need if we are to cut our carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

We would fund it by introducing a toll on road freight - charged to foreign and UK hauliers alike - and a charge on internal air flights. Road and air transport is much more damaging to the environment than trains, and the Liberal Democrats believe this should be reflected in their relative costs."

Proposals in the government's Draft Transport Bill 2007 offer Essex a unique opportunity to improve bus services, say Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council.

The core purpose of the draft Bill is to tackle congestion, and it offers a range of initiatives including the improvement of public transport.

Commenting on the draft proposals, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Cllr Keith Francis said:

"I welcome this long overdue Bill from the government, and I am pleased to see the possibility of improved bus services.

I would like to see the County Council have much greater influence over such a major plank of its transport strategy, and be able to let Quality Bus Contracts. These Contracts would deliver the level of improvement that is necessary and would cover fares and timetables; however, I believe network coverage should be included. This could vastly improve accessibility by extending services to many more communities and so offer a real alternative to the car.

As any regular bus user will know, most current bus services disintegrate after 7pm and disappear on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The bus industry, deregulated in 1985, is not delivering the level of service that is needed and changes have to be made. Increasingly, bus companies' commercial interests result in abandoning unprofitable routes, and it is then left to the county council to support them. Overall, this offers poor value for money for the taxpayer."

Cllr Francis is urging Essex to seize the opportunities raised by this set of draft proposals, that should also be seen as key in providing answers to our traffic and pollution problems.