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Tuesday 6 Mar 2007

RAIL FREIGHT FORECAST TO GROW 30% OVER NEXT 10 YEARS

Region & Route:

National

Network Rail today published the rail industry's Freight Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), which forecasts future growth and potential across the rail network over the next ten years, with options for government and other decision makers as to where investment funds could best be spent. The 2007 Freight RUS brings together in one document the key strategic capacity issues of concern to freight operators and provides a set of recommendations on how this projected growth can best be met. Paul Plummer, Director of Planning and Regulation at Network Rail, said: "It is easy to forget just how indispensable freight services are to our everyday lives, delivering consumables which stock our supermarkets, and coal to provide electricity which lights our homes and powers our industries. "Rail freight has grown rapidly over the last ten years, and the forecasts are for further growth of up to 30 per cent, an extra 240 freight trains a day, over the next 10 years. "This growth demonstrates the attractiveness of rail as a way to move freight, as well as the success of the freight operators in marketing the railway to their customers. Many large retailers are now choosing freight services as the best and most efficient way to move their goods around the country. "There are also clear environmental benefits for the UK compared to moving freight by road, as it would take an additional 1.5 million lorry journeys each year alone to meet this projected 30% growth." Key recommendations include: - developing the east coast ports coal route to the Aire and Trent Valley power stations, as well as enhancements on the Anglo-Scottish coal route - a proactive approach to gauge enhancement to allow greater access to the network for the increasingly common high cube W10 containers (through replacement of higher structures or lowering of the track). This would enable the rail industry to carry a significant volume of traffic that would otherwise be carried by road - timetable changes, diversions, new loops and capacity enhancements on parts of the West Coast Main Line, including Haven ports and Southampton Paul Plummer said: "Network Rail is pleased and proud to be leading the RUS programme on behalf of the rail industry, seeking solutions to the rapidly growing demand for rail freight. "This RUS provides a clear view on the likely level and pattern of demand for rail freight across the network as a whole and this will help set the context for work in other areas. "The RUS sets out the recommended short and medium term schemes some of which will be funded or part funded by the Network Rail 'Discretionary Fund' or the Out-Performance Fund. "The RUS will help inform the High Level Output Specifications produced by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport Scotland, and will provide strategic context for decisions on the Transport Innovation Fund. "The RUS will also inform our Strategic Business Plan in October and the demand projections from the RUS will also feed into our work on RUSs for specific parts of the network."