Bristol plan for car trains
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• A bus company is collaborating with the port of Bristol in a bid to re-open a section of disused railway and transfer up to 300,000 cars a year from road to rail.
They are expected to approach car manufacturers with plans to open the 10-mile section of rail linking Portbury dock with Bristol's Temple Meads station.
The rail freight service would then link into the national rail network.
The British Port Company, which runs both of Bristol's Avonmouth and Portbury docks already works with car manufacturers Ford, Daewoo, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Proton.
It will be approaching them with its plans for a night and weekend freight service from Portbury by early 1998.
The port is also expected to approach manufacturers of timber products and bulk materials.
FirstBus, which claims to be the UK's second largest bus operator, plans to use guided buses on the fine by day to carry commuters in and out of Bristol.
• Tibbett & Britten has just formed a railfreight car-carrying joint venture with British Rail's Railfreight Distribution but does not foresee any involvement with this project. Axial, T&B's car distribution company, already transports Ford and Daewoo cars through Bristol by road.