A study in how to encourage sustainable tourism is being carried out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
And railways have a great role to play, said RDS president Michael Caton in a submission to the inquiry.
Train operating companies need to take a more active role and funding needs to be identified.
There is also a lack of public awareness of how many tourist attractions can be reached by rail. A co-ordinated national effort should be made to market the rail system as a whole.
In many areas, there are already attractive regional rail rover tickets which receive little publicity because more than one train operator is involved.
Bus services should connect with railheads and cyclists must be able to take their bikes on the train. Old trains must be converted to give cyclists more space, coaches can be added to diesel units and new trains must be adequate for the job.
In several holiday areas, disused rail lines could be reopened.
The National Trust has set a tremendous example by providing public transport information. Others should follow suit.
You can email Railwatch editor Ray King at editor@railwatch.org.uk (or just click on this link), e-mail Deltic Design with comments about the Railwatch Web pages, or visit their web site.
RiscPC