Friday 13 Jul 2012
MULTI-MILLION POUND EUROPEAN FUNDING FOR FREIGHT IMPROVEMENTS
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
Transport fund agrees money for three vital projects
Three projects to improve vital freight and passenger links on the railway network are to receive €14m (£11m) from the European Commission.
The successful bid to the TEN-T Agency brought funding to the following projects:
€5m (£4m) towards the work to electrify the line between Liverpool and Manchester
€5m (£4m) to increase capacity and train lengths on the Southampton to West Coast main line route, and investing in new cranes at the port.
€4m (£3m) to build freight loops near Ely, as part of the Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight route
Network Rail’s director of freight, Tim Robinson, said: “Freight haulage is the lifeblood of our economy and this investment will give a boost to our efforts to encourage more of it onto the railway. As well as being the most environmentally-friendly way of transporting cargo, by moving more freight onto our rail network we can free capacity on other transport modes and keep the UK moving. “
The TEN-T Agency works to improve transport links across Europe, to increase economic and social growth.
The Department for Transport apply to the agency each year for funding to improve the rail network, supported by Network Rail.
The North West electrification project will see 25kv overhead power delivered to the routes between Liverpool and Manchester, Huyton to Wigan, Preston to Blackpool and Manchester to Preston via Bolton. The work complements the lines that are already electrified in the region – notably the key freight route of the West Coast Main Line, the busiest mixed use railway in Europe.
The route from Southampton to the West Coast main line is being improved to offer gauge clearance for large 9ft 6 containers, longer loops to allow longer trains, and new cranes. The TEN-T money has been invested to increase train lengths.
Felixstowe to Nuneaton is one of the UK’s busiest freight routes and the area around Ely is recognised as one of the major pinch-points. Installing the 775 metre freight loops will increase capacity, improve reliability and allow longer trains to be run. * It follows previous successful TEN-T bids worth €14m to improve other parts of the route.
- Please note: this is a separate project from the proposals to improve Ely North junction, work on which is ongoing.
Notes to editors
NOTES TO EDITORS
The TEN-T money is agreed subject to confirmation from the European Parliament.
Rail is one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of transport. Rail freight produces 76% less carbon dioxide than road freight per tonne carried, so the greater transfer of freight from road to rail as a result of this scheme will significantly reduce carbon emissions and help the UK reduce its carbon footprint.
The value of freight:
- The British economy relies on rail freight to the tune of £870m a year
- Rail transports over 100m tonnes of goods worth around £30bn every year
- The freight sector supports employment 14 times the number employed directly in the industry (66.6k compared to 4.7k )
- In total the UK freight sector contributes £299m in profits and wages to the UK economy
- Rail freight generates £185k worth of output per employee almost double the national average (£89k)
- The societal benefits from a shift from road to rail equate to £376m (2007/8) and up to £903m if it grows by 140% (2031). This would be a lot higher if the loss of Treasury revenue from road tax (due to taking lorries off the roads) was not taken into account
- Rail freight demand is predicted to grow by 30% over the next decade and up to 140% over 30 years
- Without the railway, the anticipated growth in freight traffic over the next 30 years would mean an extra 1.5 million lorry journeys on Britain’s roads each year
- The Eddington Study estimated that the time lost as a result of road congestion costs the British economy £7-8bn every year and is likely to be at least £24bn by 2025
- Freight also helps minimise road congestion – every freight train takes around 60 lorries off the road.
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