REDUCED journey times have been put at the heart of longterm thinking for Scotland's transport system, although the emphasis will be on using existing rail lines instead of laying expensive new track.

Tavish Scott, the transport minister, yesterday endorsed a much faster Glasgow-Edinburgh link, but said he was getting advice that existing lines should be upgraded rather than building an entirely new link. He also indicated that the Perth to Inverness and Aberdeen to Inverness rail lines are among his personal priorities.

The long-term strategy, published today at the start of a three-month consultation, is aimed at cutting road congestion and vehicle emissions, as well as helping businesses that rely on freight, and making people from deprived communities more mobile. It covers a wide range of transport, across road, rail, walking, cycling, sea and air, and aims to set out some of the decisions that will be required to shape transport from the end of the current planning period in 2012, until 2025. Among the ideas are:

ROADS

Ministers want "a culture where fewer short journeys are made by car". They hope to work with the UKgovernment on new technology that will replace fuel duty and car tax with billing-per-mile, with the highest charges for congested roads at peak time.

The executive is also asking how it can restart moves towards urban congestion charging, after the heavy defeat in a referendum last year in Edinburgh. There are suggestions that roads should have more lanes for bus priority, vehicles with several occupants, and truck priority schemes, while park-and-ride facilities could expand.

BUSES

The strategy suggests following the London example, which shows large subsidies can make a big difference to reducing car use and making poorer people more mobile.

There is also strong support for "demand responsive transport", covering flexible routes at unscheduled times. These include dial-a-bus, shared taxis, and community car and bus schemes.

The strategy foresees greater use of information about when the next bus is due, easier ticketing, with one ticket for a journey on several buses or including rail and bus, and action against antisocial behaviour.

TRAINS

The improvement to the west coast line linking Glasgow and London is expected to shift only 5per cent of air traffic from the city to rail. Mr Scott emphasised that he wants to reduce the 140 flights every weekday between Scotland and London by making highspeed rail more attractive, particularly between Edinburgh and London.

AIR

The executive wants to expand its support for routes linking Scotland to the continent, but only where it brings more money into Scotland, rather than those taking holiday-makers out of the country.

But there is a warning that air travel may have to be constrained in coming years because of the environmental damage it causes.

SEA Ministers want to take pressure off rural roads by making more use of coastal freight, and are keen to establish a major container terminal in Orkney or Hunterston in Ayrshire, where a new generation of very large ocean-going ships transfer their cargo to smaller ones.

CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

Employers could also face requirements from local councils to introduce travel plans, including buses and car-sharing, to reduce the impact of their employees using cars to get to work. In the long term, the executive wants new hospitals, schools and other public services to be built in places that are easily reached by public transport.