Communications in Wales
Most businesses will tell you that after paying wages, transport costs are the biggest cost they face. This includes the transport of goods, people and information.
When you think of transport you will probably think about the big lorries and cars on the roads. But Wales is part of an island so how does all of the produce we use from around the world get here? We also grow produce and manufacture products in Wales so how does it get to our customers around the world?
In Wales, ships are a major part of our transport infrastructure. Ports are just as important. Without ports in Wales many of our businesses would fail.
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The sky's the limit?
Air transport is more important in Wales for transporting people rather than for transporting freight (goods). The only major airport in Wales is Cardiff International Airport in Rhoose just outside the capital.
The most recent figures from the Welsh Assembly Government show that there has been a decline in the use of air transport in Wales. Last year there were 27,000 less aircrafts coming and going out of the country, with 18% less passengers. Freight transportation was also down by a huge 87%.
However the air transport infrastructure here still supports major industries such as GE aviation which is expanding its operations in Nantgarw and British Airways Maintenance/Engineering which is a major employer in Rhoose, Pontyclun and Blackwood.
Passenger trains in Wales
Inside Wales transportation is dominated by the road networks. Railways used to be very important in moving both people and goods but recently have become less important. However, railways are very good at moving heavy materials cheaply over land and also large numbers of people without producing as much greenhouse gasses.
Goods trains in Wales
What happens next?
Activity
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Use GIS (Geographical Information Systems) such as Google Earth and local OS maps to identify important transport nodes (places where different parts of the transport network meet). This could include harbours, railways, airports and major roads.
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Use Google Earth to try and identify businesses close to the node.
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Why do you think that business is there?
