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What Will Reform Mean for Britain's Railways?

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What Will Reform Mean for Britain's Railways? 148 HelpingNEWS ensure a sustainable future for UK rail freight July 2021 What will reform mean for Britain’s railways? Opportunity of a lifetime to grow freight if Great British Railways reform delivers on promises. P.3 First freight train for The Rail Freight Group (RFG) welcomed the creation of Great British Railways is a unique Port of Sunderland. publication of the Williams – Shapps Plan for opportunity to meet these ambitions if it ensures Rail, which offers the opportunity of a lifetime that private sector rail freight operators can to accelerate the growth of rail freight, flourish, and that customers and suppliers are helping decarbonise UK freight transport and encouraged to invest for growth.” meeting the needs of its customers. She added: “We look forward to working with Under the plans set out by Government a Government as they develop the detailed new organisation, Great British Railways, will proposals, including for reform of track access be created to plan and run the rail network, and a new role for the ORR. It will be essential incorporating Network Rail and passenger that the new structure and systems truly deliver P.4 services. Importantly, the new body will have a on their promise for rail freight.” statutory duty to promote freight, and a national Ports benefit from freight co-ordination team will be created to Reform has been widely welcomed across the 775m freight trains. improve the freight customer experience. freight sector. Eddie Aston, CEO for G&W’s Government will also set a growth target for rail UK/Europe Region companies, said: “We freight, as has been done in Scotland, and will welcome the publication of the Williams-Shapps issue guidance on its priorities for rail freight Plan for Rail. There are strong economic and periodically. environmental benefits of moving freight by rail and modal shift to rail will be crucial to support Maggie Simpson OBE, RFG Director General, the decarbonisation of the UK economy. We have said: “Businesses across the country are hungry engaged extensively with the Williams Review for more rail freight as they decarbonise their team over the last few years and are supply chains and build back the economy. The Continued over the page. P.6 GBRf runs first Stanton Gate service Porterbrook takes over Long Marston since 2009. and announces new Rail Innovation Centre Article on page 5. P.7 iPort Rail secures rail freight customs approval. July 2021 RFG Director-General’s Update goods moving, with longer trains and additional services where Now is the required. However growth in rail always comes with its challenges so we were pleased to see strong support from Government in perfect time for the recently published Williams – Shapps Plan for Rail. The White Paper, which sets out the blueprint for restructuring the railways, rail freight gives firm commitments to rail freight within the new structure, including a statutory duty to grow freight, and a central freight By Maggie Simpson OBE, co-ordination team. Director-General, Since the publication of the report we have been in discussion Rail Freight Group (RFG). with colleagues at the Department for Transport and Network Rail, including at our recent members webinar (link below). I have According to statistics from the Road Haulage Association, been struck by the strength of their commitment to making the the UK is presently short of around 65,000 lorry drivers. plans work for freight, and enshrining growth across the new A combination of a long-term structural issue, changes organisation. So although this is a significant programme of work, arising from Brexit and backlog of HGV driving tests arising and one that undoubtedly comes with some risk, rail freight has from COVID have brought the situation to crisis point, with much to gain if the reforms deliver on expectation. supermarkets now on the record about the delivery issues In recent weeks, it has been brilliant to meet up with some they are experiencing, and the impact on consumer supplies. members for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Disruption to supply chains has been a regular feature of the last Although we have become accustomed to Zoom and MS Teams, few years, with Brexit and COVID exacerbating underlying issues and indeed found good ways of making it work, there is no and impacting on all modes. Even now, global shipping remains substitute for real life conversations whether over the meeting disrupted with new port closures in mainland China where a table, at an exhibition or indeed over a nice glass of white wine. new wave of COVID is restricting activity. And with new customs Like everyone, we are waiting to see whether the final stage procedures going live at the end of the year at UK ports there of unlocking can go ahead, after which we will look to confirm could be more disruption to come. plans for our events in the Autumn. We have a reservations list open for Christmas Lunch and Awards Dinner so do get in touch No freight modes are immune to the impact of this. Supply chains with Phillippa O’Shea if you want to hold you place. Email her at are almost always multimodal to some extent or another, and [email protected] rail operations are and will be impacted, for example if ships are delayed or ports and terminals become congested, or if road Our annual RFG Conference with Waterfront is also open for driver shortages impact on last mile distribution. That said, rail bookings and offering a choice of booking options and you can freight has so far managed well through this period, and services find details here. Our webinar programme also continues with continue to run well, with traffic levels now exceeding pre-COVID details of upcoming sessions. You can find all the latest RFG levels in some sectors and regions. Events news here. Growing rail freight can certainly help to alleviate congestion in We look forward to seeing you online or, with a fair wind, in real life, at an event soon. other modes, particularly on longer distance routes. We have already seen an uptick in customers looking at rail options, and as we saw during the pandemic, rail was able to help keep Continued from page 1. to provide an opportunity to level the RFG’s 2018 paper on rail reform can be playing field and really maximise the found here. • pleased to see the proposed statutory environmental and economic benefits rail duty for Great British Railways to promote freight can deliver. rail freight and that a growth target will be set. We look forward to working with the “Our industry has played a pivotal role new public body to ensure that the right during the recent pandemic and ensured contractual and regulatory framework is the seamless movement of goods to and in place that enables continued private- from Europe during the difficult Brexit sector investment, in order to drive transition period but we have so much modal shift to rail, increase the economic more to give in terms of helping the benefits to the UK economy and support Government to grow the economy and decarbonisation.” deliver on its net zero emissions targets. We will work hard to ensure that our Andrea Rossi, CEO of DB Cargo UK, compelling case for the further growth of added “We welcome the direction that the rail freight continues to be heard.” white paper provides and will continue to work with Government and other key RFG recently hosted a webinar that dived industry stakeholders to realise the true into the issues surrounding reform. The potential of rail freight here in the UK. event report is on page 10. “For too long the points have been unfairly The Williams – Shapps Plan for Rail can set in favour of passenger train operators be found here or click the image. and on first reading, the proposals appear July 2021 Port steams News in Brief ahead with • RFG’s Assistant Policy Manager Phil Smart was first freight recently interviewed by train in 20 RAIL magazine on rail freight traffic trends and years rail freight’s role in a booming construction sector. Read the full The Port of Sunderland has completed its road miles, congestion and most importantly, the interview here. first loading of a commercial freight service carbon emissions associated with so many traffic in two decades, following a multi-million movements.” • RFG was delighted to pound infrastructure upgrade. support Rail LIVE 2021. It With another train of the same size already was a great event and a Working with partners Network Rail and DB expected shortly, port chiefs are hoping freight rail key opportunity to get out Cargo, port chiefs waved away 21 wagons pulled services could become a regular service as the and meet colleagues face by a Class 60 Engine on 22 June. The wagons multimodal hub develops further opportunities for to face. A huge thanks to were loaded with steel coil, which was imported the significant rail infrastructure already in place. the organisers for a great by sea for customer Marcegaglia – one of the reception. world’s largest steel trading and manufacturing Andy Foster, business development manager, companies. Each of the wagons was loaded with added that there are other rail-related projects • PD Ports has joined six steel coils weighing up to 15 tonnes each, being considered: “The port is ideally positioned forces with the Tees with a total weight of 1,500 tonnes for the train. to offer a range of rail related solutions, from Valley Education Multi- cargo handling to the stabling and servicing of Academy Trust, to create Matthew Hunt, director at Port of Sunderland, both commercial and passenger trains.
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