The one thing I'd change is... by Simon Calder, travel journalist and broadcaster

Should 'Open access' of the railways be allowed to flourish in the UK as it has in Europe? Travel journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder thinks it should and that by allowing more independent train operators to run services on the national rail network, it will encourage more people to use the train instead of driving or flying domestically.

I caught up with Simon at the ABTA 2025 Travel Conference in Calvià, Mallorca this week and asked him to answer in less than 60 seconds, "What's the one thing you'd change in travel, given the climate and nature emergencies?" Here is his full reply:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/581fc9_d8619662293141b79b5e009516c76458/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Simon Calder, travel journalist and broadcaster

"The one thing I'd really like to change in transport, which could be fixed so easily, is to allow open access properly to flourish in the UK.

"One reason, actually, that the rail unions were so pro-Brexit was because they didn't want competition to spread through the UK.

"But all the evidence is from across Europe, particularly in Spain and in Italy, is if you allow intercity competition on the rails to flourish, then people will simply leave their cars at home.

"They'll stop taking those domestic flights because they know they are going to get superb quality, great services, excellent value, really good stuff.

"And guess what? It is going to boost the economy as well as reducing the impact on the planet."

🙏 Simon

This post is part of a series of interviews I'm filming with people across the travel and tourism industry, where I ask them to answer in less than 60 seconds, "What's the one thing you'd change in travel, given the climate and nature emergencies?"