Peel Ports Launches New Rail Freight Service

129 May 2018 NEWSHelping ensure a sustainable future for UK rail freight www.rfg.org.uk

Peel Ports launches new rail freight service Major milestone for Port of Liverpool P.7 as it unveils new rail link to Scotland AV Dawson signs major intermodal deal A new intermodal rail freight service produces around 40,000 tonnes of biscuits with Tata Steel has been launched at the Port of Liv- every year, will be one of the first customers erpool, thanks to a new partnership to use the service, exporting 700 containers between Peel Ports and DB Cargo. a year to the US. Kinross-shire based Cyg- net PG, one of the largest potato producers The new service provides shipping lines, in the UK, has also committed to the new forwarders, tank operators and cargo-own- service. ers with a seamless route between the quayside at Liverpool and Scotland, in turn Jouke Schaap, Container Director at Peel minimising congestion around the Port of Ports, said: “This is an important milestone Liverpool and taking lorries off the roads. event. We know that cargo owners are looking for more efficient ways of getting Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram officially their goods from A to B and this rail freight P.11 launched the departure of the inaugural service provides them with a simpler, more Record turnout for train on 8 May, which saw goods loaded in cost-effective and environmentally friendly 26th Annual RFG Liverpool and moved to Mossend terminal way of doing that. It will also help open up Conference in Glasgow. The new service is expected to global markets for thousands of Scottish carry around 40 containers per trip and will exporters, looking to transport their goods initially operate three-days-a-week. around the world. This new service under- lines our commitment to working with our Customer Walkers Shortbread, which Continued on page 4.

Multimodal 2018 enjoys

record first day turnout Article on page 5. P.16 Waste by Rail - The London soil hubs

Get your entries in by 31 May!

RFG Awards 2018:

Details on P.3 P.18 Getting whisky off Scotland’s roads RFG News May 2018

Executive Director’s Update: Maggie Simpson email your comments to [email protected]

presently a significant deterrent to building new facilities this Digital railway could be a significant and welcome change for the sector.

progress is to However equipping freight for digital signalling is no small af- fair. Speaking at our Multimodal meeting, Pieter Rypma, Key be welcomed Account Manager, Siemens Rail Automation, discussed the By Maggie Simpson, Executive Director, recent contract with Network Rail for the fleet fitment of digital Rail Freight Group (RFG) signalling equipment to freight locomotives. The procurement of this contract last year was a very significant step for the in- Speaking at the launch of Network Rail’s Digital Rail- dustry, and funding has been provided by Government under way strategy last week, the Secretary of State for Trans- the contract to enable first in class fitment, which is essentially port Chris Grayling MP, and Network Rail CEO Mark Carne prototyping, to start. However the funding to enable this to be outlined plans to ensure that any infrastructure upgrades rolled out across the locomotive fleet has yet to be established, from 2019 will be digital, or digital ready (article below). and this is a real risk to the sector. This is on top of previously announced plans to digitally enable the southern part of the East Coast Main Line, and One of the challenges is that locomotives are not captive to the north Transpennine routes as they are resignalled over traffic, and can operate anywhere on the network largely. A unit the coming years. that has hauled an intermodal train one day may be deployed on Network Rail work over the weekend and end up on a differ- Progress in digital signalling is to be welcomed, because it of- ent service the next day. So identifying the fitment needs for a fers opportunities to modernise and grow the railway that are particular route, such as the southern East Coast is challeng- simply not available with conventional means. The key prize is ing. This leads to a rolling programme of work, starting soon, of course new capacity, which ultimately comes with so-called to ensure that as routes are equipped, freight is in a position ‘level 3’ of the ERTMS system. But even before that, digital sys- to utilise and benefit from the new signalling. Equally, if freight tems will help to unlock capacity through better network man- is not fitted, then the full benefits cannot be established on a agement and by enlightening some of the more difficult are- network-wide basis. as for timetabling, such as sectional running times. And there ought to be benefits in information systems which will enable Government has yet to outline its plans for freight investment in new systems and processes for customers and operators. the next control period, and we hope that as part of that thinking, the necessary costs for digital railway are factored in as Moving away from conventional signalling should also help to well as the necessary upgrades on the network. With trials of reduce the cost of new network connections and increase con- platooned lorries being progressed, it must be hoped that this testability as the standard equipment required for digital signal- will be unlocked in coming months, to ensure that this much ling will be the same across the network. With connection costs needed work benefits us all. •

Certainty needed on future for the overall realisation of benefits of digital railway. Maggie Simpson, RFG Executive Director, said: “Digital digital freight funding transformation of the railways is an exciting proposition and one that we fully embrace. Government and Network Rail Rail Freight Group (RFG) has welcomed the launch of have taken the first steps to ensuring freight is part of this Network Rail’s Digital Railway Strategy, which aims to story but must now commit to fund ongoing fleet fitment in ensure that all new trains and signalling are digital or CP6 to ensure that freight operators and their customers can digital-ready from 2019 onwards. It cautioned howev- take full advantage of the benefits of digital railway.”• er that without certainty of future funding freight risks being left behind in this revolution, delaying delivery of benefits across the whole network. Government takes over Digital railway is a key enabler of future rail freight growth, East Coast franchise delivering improved capacity for new services, better reliability and enhanced information for freight customers. Digital The Government has moved to take temporary control of signalling should also facilitate quicker and cheaper connec- the East Coast franchise, with Virgin Trains and Stage- tions to new freight interchanges and terminals, bringing new coach handing back control from 24 June. The Department users to the rail network and enabling a growth in modern for Transport (DfT) has said it will run services under the rail-linked sites. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) brand until a new public/private partnership can be appointed in 2020. To begin this upgrade, Network Rail has contracted with Siemens Rail Automation to develop ‘first in class’ fitment of Transport Minister Chris Grayling MP addressed the House digital signalling to freight locomotives, and is working with of Commons on 16 May saying the passenger operators had freight operators, ROSCOs and the supply chain to deliver overestimated the profitability of the line. He confirmed the op- the first prototypes. However, Government has not yet com- erations and the timetable would not change in the meantime mitted funding in Control Period 6 to enable the full roll out of and said: “The route has its challenges but it is not a failing the programme. Without this, freight services cannot benefit railway. However, Stagecoach and Virgin Trains got their bid from the new signalling on East Coast Main Line, Transpen- wrong and are now paying a price.” An interim chair is expected nine and elsewhere. As freight locomotives operate on a net- to be appointed shortly. • work-wide basis, fleet fitment is also a key national enabler 2 RFG News May 2018

of trains operating. The recommendations Government from the report will help to support the case News in brief: for further investment in the rail network to DB Cargo UK has an- provide additional capacity and capability • promises action to nounced two new top for rail growth. appointments. Dr Dirk promote port links Nolte has become Chief Maggie Simpson, RFG Executive Director, Operating Officer, bring- said: “Government have recognised the ing with him a wealth of On 24 April RFG welcomed the publi- vital role that ports play to the economy, experience in the fields of cation of the Government’s ‘Transport and the intrinsic link between ports and rail business process re-engi- Infrastructure for our global future - A freight. The recommendations of this study neering and business pro- Study of England’s Port Connectivity’. should therefore help to promote the ports cess improvement. Roger sector within transport decision making, Neary has also been ap- The document, developed in close consul- and support the need for necessary invest- pointed to the position of tation with the port and freight industries, ment in inland transport links. We look for- Head of Sales. Roger has sets out a strategy for raising the profile ward to further confirmation from Govern- enjoyed a 25-year career of ports and their inland connections, and ment later this year on the available funding in rail freight with DB Car- for developing the necessary road and rail for upgrading critical rail links over the next go UK and its predecessor transport links to ensure future success. five years.” companies DB Schenker,

EWS and British Rail. The study particularly recognises the role of The publication can be found here. • rail freight, with 18 of the largest ports regularly using rail and significant investment by the • Alstom has been award- ports and rail sector to increase the number ed a £15m contract by GB Railfreight (GBRf) to provide maintenance support for the 12 Class 92 Cale- Freightliner unveils donian Sleeper locomotives. These locos will be new brand identity maintained at Alstom’s Wembley depot for the Freightliner has unveiled its new logo next 12 years. and branding, following parent company Genesee & Wyoming’s acquisition of • A review of Network Pentalver Transport last year. Rail’s tree cutting and veg- etation management has The new Freightliner logo is consistent been announced by Rail with that of Pentalver and more than 120 Minister Jo Johnson MP. G&W freight railways in the US, Australia In the meantime the Rail and Europe. Freightliner will shortly com- Minister has asked Net- mence rebranding its intermodal and bulk work Rail to suspend all rail freight terminals throughout the UK as felling during the current well as its Freightliner Road Services trucks bird nesting season, ex- whilst taking a phased approach with other cept where safety critical. assets, including locomotives and wagons.•

RFG Awards 2018! Time to get your entries in The closing date for the RFG Awards 2018 is right around the corner, with all entries needing to be in before 12 noon on 31 May.

The RFG Awards recognise excellence in all aspects of rail freight and we would encourage all our members to use this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work done by your teams up and down the country, each and every day.

Winners will be presented with their trophies at an informal ceremony and dinner on Tuesday 11 September 2018 at a new venue this year, the De Vere Latimer Es- tate, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1UG.

Click here to download an entry form and send to [email protected] • Continued from front page. to the US each year, and hope to see higher standards of service and flex- this grow in years to come, in part ibility for our customers. We look for- customers and the wider supply chain thanks to the integrated route to mar- ward to seeing our partnership grow to transform UK logistics practices to ket offered via Liverpool.” in the years ahead.” ensure the door-to-door journey is op- timised.” Hans-Georg Werner, CEO from DB Andrew Hemphill, Port Director for Cargo UK, added: “We’re delighted Clydeport, concluded by adding: “This Andrew Stokes, Head of Internation- to be working alongside Peel Ports new service is a major boost to Scot- al Sales at Walkers Shortbread, said: on this exciting new initiative. Intro- tish exporters, underpinning Scot- “Increasing our logistics efficiency ducing express rail services between land’s manufacturing base, particular- and reducing our road haulage miles Liverpool and Mossend is a really ly across the food and drink sectors. are both key to our export strategy. sustainable solution, significantly re- Via the Mossend rail terminal, Scot- The new rail service connecting Scot- ducing the need for HGVs to travel tish goods will get to global markets land with Liverpool provides us with thousands of miles on our roads each faster, cheaper and with a major re- direct, regular access to our gateway week. Peel Ports’ vision to offer cus- duction in environmental impact.” • to America. We’re currently exporting tomers a seamless end-to-end ser- around 700 containers of shortbread vice resonates with our own drive for

“This project will also transform the local community in La- MIRP opens expanded narkshire, bringing jobs, local investment and a sustainable green legacy for Bellshill, by incorporating a network of Railhead project community greenspace. Crucially, this will help Scotland lead the world in providing a lower cost, efficient and more Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) has of- sustainable alternative, to long haul road transport.” ficially launched its expanded Railhead project at its Bellshill Railhead. MIRP provides round-the-clock ac- Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair cess to state-of-the-art intermodal transport facilities, Work, who attended the launch said: “The Mossend Interna- operating as an inland port. tional Railfreight Park marks an exciting chapter for the delivery of sustainable transport in central Scotland. Not only PD Stirling marked the milestone with a team of Clydesdale will MIRP play an important role developing Central Scot- horses hauling a traditional horse lorry across the newly land’s freight infrastructure, it will also support sustainable completed M8 bridge, which links directly to the MIRP site. economic growth within the region and help to deliver our This marked the origins of the business that started using ambitious plans for the future of rail and freight. horse-drawn carriages as a coal merchant and carrier in Glasgow. “The Scottish Government are committing record levels of investment in rail as part of our £5bn package of transform- David Stirling, PD Stirling Ltd, said: “This is an exciting day ative improvements to infrastructure and services in Scot- for us as we launch Mossend International Railfreight Park. land’s railways up until 2019. It is a significant milestone for low carbon logistics for the UK, creating more opportunities for railfreight, both into and “In addition the £30m Scottish Strategic Rail Freight In- out of the very heart of Scotland. We will continue to work vestment Fund (2014-2019) is supporting the industry as it closely with North Lanarkshire Council, our local communi- looks towards unlocking the capacity and capability of the ties and the Scottish Government to ensure that we deliv- rail freight network in support of growth and capitalising on er a truly modern, strategic rail facility in central Scotland new market opportunities,” he added. • which connects the country to the UK and Europe.

4 RFG Members join colleagues from across the sector to celebrate intermodal success

The Multimodal awards night dinner.

The regular RFG Members Meeting held during the Multi- modal exhibition focussed on two main topics: the development and upgrading of both inland and port-based rail terminals, and how new technologies can improve the efficiency, safety and environmental advantages of rail freight.

The meeting, held on 1 May, started with a brief policy update from Maggie Simpson, RFG Executive Director. She outlined some of the current policy work that RFG has been leading on. Following on from recent comments by Department for Transport at RFG’s recent conference, she noted that there seemed to be increased interest in understanding freight needs in franchise bidding. She was also hopeful that the ORR’s review of access charges for the next control period would not be harmful to freight operations, when the draft determination is published on 12 June, although the details would need to be carefully reviewed.

China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy was welcomed by Nichola Silveira, General Manager Logistics, DP World London Gateway, who explained that there are now 1,500 trains running from different Chinese provinces into Europe. London Gateway has recently launched a weekly service to/from Duisburg to link with the China services, working with CMA/CGM, and it is encouraging

more rail operators to bring block trains into the port of London Gateway.

David Cross of DC Consulting welcomed the opening of new inland rail interchanges and their vital role in the development of intermodal rail services. He said that they needed to be large facilities, at least 200 acres, with good road connections and labour supply, and European gauge capacity ideally. He encouraged all the attendees to spread the message about the benefits of rail freight. David also gave an update on the new facility at iPort which opened earlier this year.

Paul Severs, Director, Solent Stevedores, explained how joining RFG had helped his company’s learning curve as it moved into Continued over the page 5 RFG News May 2018

Continued from page 5. BIM – Building Information Modelling – and its relevance to rail, was explained by Trevor Strahan and Iain Court of BakerHicks. rail, and undertook the huge job of upgrading the Southampton It uses 3D modelling (and 4D, including time, 5D cost, 6D asset Rail Terminal to double its capacity while keeping it operational. management and 7D sustainability) to help construction and oth- The phased build programme included moving from side-lifters er industries increase efficiency and avoid potential problems. It to reach stackers, overcoming the problem of curve overthrow. can be used to help plan and model exact gauge clearance for freight trains. In the second session, Andrew Quinn from the Birmingham Cen- tre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at Birmingham The last speaker Pieter Rypma, Key Account Manager, Siemens University, explained that the research they have recently under- Rail Automation, talked about his company’s contract with Net- taken on the aerodynamics of freight trains is based on modelling work Rail to install ETCS (European Train Control System) to but also generated by real trains on real networks. He said that freight locomotives. He said it would be installed in all freight lo- calls for faster freight trains need to take into account that freight cos (as well as passenger ones) to increase reliability and safety. trains generate much more powerful slipstreams than passenger It is a ten year plan and needs to be managed carefully as it is a trains at the same speed, and the implications of this for freight step change for drivers. Thanks to all our speakers and to Clarion trains passing alongside passenger platforms. Andrew also dis- Events for sponsoring the meeting and lunch. • cussed recent work on passenger rail air quality, and the implications for rail freight.

Don’t miss out on DRS’ Open Day in July The annual Direct Rail Services (DRS) Open Day will take place at its Gresty Bridge depot in Crewe on 21 July 2018 10am - 4pm.

Bring the family along for a fun day out as it invites you to have a look behind the scenes. There will be a range of locos on show including the new Class 88.

Entry is £5 at the gate. Under 16s get in free. Tickets are available on their website shop. Please click here.

All money raised is distributed to charities and local causes via the DRS sponsorship and donations fund.

6 New tar deal is first for AV Dawson’s £2.6m rail hub

AV Dawson has secured its first con- a more efficient delivery process for our to customers such as Nissan and Steel & tract to move containers by rail since customers”. Alloy. AV Dawson receives three weekly work on its intermodal freight facility deliveries of steel coil by train, and identi- was completed. Neil McShane, Rail Manager at AV Daw- fied additional capacity on these trains to son, added: “This contract with Tata Steel transport the coal tar – a product that has As a boost to a long-term existing con- is more cost effective as it involves trans- a range of industrial uses. tract, AV Dawson will transport up to 24 tar porting the coal tar alongside the existing tanks per week from Tata Steel’s Port Tal- steel coil that we transport for Tata. The The Tees Riverside Intermodal Park bot facility to Koppers, at Port Clarence, direct rail link into our facility increases ef- (TRIP) was part of a three-year £12.5m Teesside. ficiency and supports our drive to reduce investment plan AV Dawson embarked the business’ environmental impact. This onto develop its 100-acre Tees freight ter- Gary Dawson, Managing Director at AV is one of the key reasons we developed minal in Middlesbrough. The Intermodal Dawson, welcomed the extended deal the Intermodal Park and is the first of terminal has now reached more than 400 and said it demonstrated the firm’s com- many new contracts this investment will units in storage and continues to grow mitment to government objectives to move bring to AV Dawson and Teesside. each month. heavy freight from road to rail transport. Under its existing agreement with Tata, From its base on Riverside Park, Mid- He said: “We built Tees Riverside In- AV Dawson acts as a north east auto- dlesbrough, AV Dawson owns and oper- termodal Park because we knew there motive distribution centre for Tata’s steel ates one of the largest independent rail was an opportunity to take a substantial coil, with the firm’s steel being stored in its terminals in the North of England and has amount of heavy traffic off of roads and climate-controlled warehouse before be- also has a 99 year lease to maintain and convert this onto rail freight, whilst offering ing transported via its road haulage fleet operate Middlesbrough Goods Yard. •

Nottinghamshire depot would have to be hastily relocated to DB Cargo and HS2 Ltd make way for HS2.

confirm Toton depot He said: “While the site may have to move to accommodate new economic development associated with the HS2 Hub land ‘not required’ for Station at some time over the next 15 to 20 years, there is time to work with all interested parties to ensure a holistic high-speed line approach is taken. This is good news for the company, those colleagues who work there, our customers and the surround- DB Cargo says high-level talks have taken place with ing businesses that we work with. Toton is one of the biggest HS2 Ltd to discuss the long-term future of Toton’s train depots in the UK and provides an extremely important ser- maintenance depot and sidings. It confirmed that land vice to the rail freight industry. Its future must be handled occupied by DB Cargo UK’s rail freight workshops is not with care.” required to deliver the baseline plans for the railway. Toton depot originally opened in the late 1800s and is now DB Cargo UK’s CEO Hans-Georg Werner said he hoped the home to heavy engineering workshops, a paint depot, freight news would put an end to speculation that the company’s loading facilities and infrastructure maintenance services. •

7 RFG News May 2018

Frans Calje, Chief Executive of PD Ports, added: “PD Ports Teesport looks to become is at the centre of an increasingly important logistics hub based at Teesport. We have a strong and historic partner- Gateway to Scotland ship with P&O Ferries and we are supporting this expansion by providing additional capacity for their upsized Zeebrug- P&O Ferries has announced that it plans to enhance ge-Teesport route through even more investment in our rail capacity on its Zeebrugge-Teesport route by almost 25% services to Scotland. PD Ports has extensive rail capacity in order to create a ‘gateway to Scotland’. with direct intermodal links across the UK and with a new, second planned daily service to Scotland imminent, we will The integrated ferry and logistics company currently carries shortly see further opportunities for cargo movements to and more than 100,000 freight units a year to Teesport from its from Scotland.” continental hub at Zeebrugge. The 12 sailings a week service is provided by the 25,000 ton Bore Songand the 10,000 Pieter Balcaen, Chief Executive of ECS & 2XL (European ton Mistral. The timetable of both services will be fully inte- Logistics Group), added: “Our mission is to create sustaina- grated so that freight can be moved from one to the other ble and reliable logistics, which means that we focus on sus- with minimal delay. tainable transport and multimodal solutions to add value to our customers. The Teesport Rail initiative started three Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, said: “The years ago, with a reliable level of service from day one. The most reliable way for exporters to or from Scotland to trans- increased ferry and rail capacity will enable us to further de- port their goods is via Teesport. The 15-hour sailing is more velop and strengthen our rail connections to/from Scotland – cost efficient than more northerly routes and by integrating this is vitally important for our intermodal solution for our two our timetable with PD Ports’ new rail service to Scotland we products: Commodity Full Loads or one step beyond Supply can guarantee customers an unrivalled service to and from Chain Solutions.” • northern Britain.”

the shortest transit time for new build “We are pleased that BA has chosen New VTG tank wagons from eastern Europe to the to place its trust in VTG for this vital UK.” traffic and recognises the value of wagons for BA the package we are able to supply. delivered in The journey across Europe was or- Not just the wagons themselves but ganised and carried out by the Ger- our overall ability to deliver in the long ‘record time’ many-based Rail Logistics division of term. We are confident that these VTG Rail UK’s parent company VTG wagons will provide reliable service The first batch of VTG Rail UK’s AG. for many years to come.” new tank wagons for lease to Brit- ish Airways have arrived in Britain “A big thank you,” said Ian, “to all of The brand new wagons have been from the Polish manufacturers in our group colleagues for their assis- built to VTG’s state of the art design, what the wagon lessor described tance in delivering this important new which offers class leading payloads. as a ‘record time’. project, particularly Rail Logistics, who They are fitted with track friendly, low managed the transit of the wagons to noise bogies for quieter operation, Sales and marketing director Ian the UK from Poland so efficiently.” offering reduced maintenance down- Shaw said: “The first wagons arrived time and lower track access charges. at Wembley just seven days after their Looking at the wider picture, VTG MD The wagons, fully compliant with avia- departure from Greenbrier in Świdni- Rob Brook said: “VTG is delighted to tion regulations, will be bottom loaded ca, south western Poland, a journey be doing business and to be working at the refinery. They have a vapour re- that can often take 6 to 8 weeks, and in close cooperation with BA and its covery system fitted to eliminate any sometimes longer. As far as we are supplier to ensure the flow of fuel into escape of vapours during loading. • concerned, in our experience, this is Heathrow airport.

On 17 April, Freightliner undertook the first of a new flow of traffic for Tarmac from Telford International Rail Freight Park to Hayes in Essex, delivering various grades of stone for use in the road industry. The operation went smoothly, with the first train arriving four min- utes early and loaded in good time for a right time departure loaded with over 2,000 tonnes of material.

In the photo - on loco – Rob Ellis, Freight- liner Production Manager. On the ground L – R - Mike Stanford, Rail Operations Manager for Tarmac, Stuart Elder, Freightliner mobile ground staff, Ron Bradbury, Freightliner Op- erations Support Manager.

8 RFG News May 2018

GBRf and Biffa enhance waste management deal Waste management company Biffa and GBRf are working together to expand its rail hub network for the transport of inactive waste materials.

The partnership will initially focus on connecting Manches- ter and Leeds with Biffa’s landfill facility in Roxby, near Scunthorpe. When fully operational these two strategic rail links alone are expected to facilitate the movement of around 250,000 tonnes of waste annually, the equivalent of some GBRf marks another step forward in our strategy to develop 16,000 truck journeys. GBRf will operate a red-liveried lo- our waste management infrastructure and innovate our cus- comotive The Flying Dustman to reflect Biffa’s iconic brand, tomer offering. By increasing the mobility of inactive waste, unveiled in a ceremony at York station. rail transportation will enhance our service offerings from our existing landfill network whilst also providing significant envi- Mick Davis, Managing Director of Resource Recovery ronmental benefits compared to road transportation.” • & Treatment Division at Biffa, said: “The partnership with

Network Rail completes ‘biggest’ signalling upgrade

Network Rail delivered its biggest-ever signalling upgrade in early April. The upgrade in Bristol took place over Easter weekend and involved more than 500 members of Team Orange working round the clock to remove old 1970s analogue signalling and install and test new digital signalling equipment. It means most of the signals in Bristol will be controlled from a state of the art signalling centre in Didcot rather than the 1970s signalling room behind Bristol Temple Meads station.

This is the third of a four-stage £250m project to entirely resig- nal Bristol Temple Meads and the surrounding area. The final phase of the project will take place at Easter 2019. The project, which forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, will double the number of tracks between Bristol Parkway and Bris- tol Temple Meads. •

9 RFG News May 2018 Davis Wagon Services gets RailSmart EDS Davis Wagon Services is to invest in its staff competence technology by licensing RailSmart EDS, the employ- ee development system from digital software company 3Squared.

EDS was designed initially in 2014 by 3Squared in collaboration with East Midland Trains as a digital record of drivers’ competency assessments. It swiftly became an established part of competency management not only for EMT but also for South Western Railways and GBRf.

John Hall, Davis Wagon Services MD, [pictured left with James Fox Commercial Director of 3Squared] said: “The EDS package is no secret within the industry. Several of our customers and stakeholders had already engaged with 3Squared and we had seen the benefits brought to their business. The freight industry needs to move into the 21st centu- ry; with technology and software becoming more tailored and affordable to businesses, now is the ideal time to invest in this software for the future. From the initial meeting with 3Squared to understand if EDS would fit into our business, we have never hesitated in moving the project forward as this software aligns with our future business objectives. •

RFG sets out freight needs for West Coast Partnership As Government starts the competition for the new West Coast Partnership, RFG has set out the key requirements for rail freight in a new position paper for stakeholders and bidders.

The West Coast Main Line is a vital route for freight, with around 90,000 freight trains running each year between the major conurbations, ports, quarries and production facilities. Although freight will not run on HS2, the future West Coast timetable will need to accommodate freight services, alongside HS2 trains and residual passenger services. This will require a fair allocation of released capacity south of Crewe, and infrastructure and operational solutions north of Crewe to meet the needs of all users.

Maggie Simpson, RFG Executive Director, said: “The West Coast Partnership will have an influential role on the future of this important route, and we need to ensure that freight is part of these developments. Our position paper published today will help to provide key information for bidders and stakeholders to enable the right collaboration and cooperation between freight and passenger in the new partnership.

RFG’s policy paper can be found here. •

10 RFG Summer Conference: meeting report

There was a record turnout for the 26th Annual Rail Freight Group conference, organised by Waterfront, in April in Lon- don.

Our Executive Director Maggie Simpson opened proceedings by suggesting that the changes coming over the next 12 months might be more significant that we appreciate today – with the start of CP6 (Control Period 6), including route based regulation, and a new chief executive at Network Rail, not to mention the effect of Brexit negotiations.

John Larkinson, Director of Railway Markets & Economics, ORR (Office of Rail and Road), said that there were many changes in Control Period 6. Network Rail will have less flexibility as a public body in terms of, for instance, moving money between operations and capital investment, or back and forth between years, which will make it harder to function. He suggested that ORR is looking at whether there would be a cap and phasing-in of the new vari- able freight charges. And he said the ORR is making a big effort to encourage third party investment and to say ‘we are open for business’.

Kate Jennings, Deputy Director of Rail Strategy projects, DfT, Paul McMahon, Managing Director, Freight and National Passen- said that rail freight is a real success story – ‘the poster child’ – in ger Operator (FNPO), Network Rail, looked ahead at the work his terms of private sector investment and that the Department is team will be doing to help support freight growth. He called on trying to ensure that the process for taking forward third party freight operators and customers to help his team make the case investment proposals and engage with Government is as trans- for the funding of future schemes which are important to their parent as possible. It is holding some Rail Opportunity Days in businesses. One initiative is an end-user score card (as a further May. She also emphasised the work that DfT have been doing step to the operator score card) to increase communication with to ensure that freight stakeholders are included in the franchise more stakeholders. He noted that freight makes up 3% (600) of process. the 22,000 trains a day on the network, but 7% of the mileage and 20% of total gross tonnage.

Tim Morris, Chief Executive, Major Ports Group, explained the future outlook for UK ports and emphasised the link between ports and rail freight. He noted that the vast majority of cargo passing through his members’ ports comes from outside the Eu- ropean Union and moves very swiftly through the port. In terms of Brexit, the highest ‘risk’ of delays comes from ro-ro, shortsea, turn up and go traffic, but an opportunity may arise to change the regulatory framework given that most UK ports are privately owned whereas most European ports are owned by central or local government.

Steve Freeman, Managing Director and David Cross, Commer- cial Director [pictured], iPort Rail, gave an update on the new iPort Rail intermodal site near Doncaster which welcomed its first Continued over the page. 11 RFG News May 2018

Continued from page 11. The panel discussion that followed looked at creating the loco of the future, especially in light of the Minister for Rail, Jo John- train in February, and is set to grow its rail volumes over the year. son’s declaration that he wants to see all diesel-only trains off the tracks by 2040. Jon Caen, Senior Account and Marketing David emphasised that we all need to promote the benefits of Manager, Electro-Motive Diesel and Chris Polack, Director at rail freight more to counteract the stories of platooning and low- Bootham Network Solutions, joined Debbie on the panel and a er emissions coming from the road sector. They also called for lively discussion including the delegates followed. more attention to be paid to increasing train length and average speed. Some suggestions included using battery power to get through the track sections where electrification is difficult, or that maybe a Carl Kent, Head of Strategy and Innovation, GB Railfreight, gave ‘power by the hour’ model would work. It was noted that meeting an overview of the company’s business development activities the Minister’s target would need £2-3bn of replacement locos so and said that road, not other FOCs, is his company’s main com- where was the finance going to come from? petitor. He called for the advantages of new rolling stock to be reflected in lower track charges, and for quicker decisions on ac- And, as cleaner air and reducing carbon are not necessarily com- cess rights. He said the shortage of drivers needs to be tackled patible, how are priorities decided and how do we ensure a level by marketing it as a good, well-paid job to younger people, and playing field with road in terms of paying the actual environmen- by looking at different ways drivers’ work is organised. tal costs?

Debbie Francis, Managing Director, DRS, looked at the factors Thanks to all the speakers, to the delegates for asking searching affecting future traction choices. She explained that the relatively questions, to Waterfront for organising the conference, Freshwa- small number of locos on the UK network made designing and ter for their sponsorship and to Addleshaw Goddard for hosting building new rolling stock difficult, and that ‘the saga that contin- the event. • ues to be the electrification programme’ doesn’t help with planning. She speculated that maybe the FOCs should look at joint procurement to increase buying power and that as a sector, we need to push our green credentials more widely.

RFG Handbook 2018-19 out now

Have you picked up your free copy of the RFG’s annual handbook?

Alongside an extensive directory section, the handbook contains articles from expert voices from across the rail freight sector including: Rail Minister Jo Johnson MP; Network Rail and ORR.

Print your digital copy directly from the RFG website here.

dinner, held on the evening of the first tor of the Year’ and Chris Lewis, Managing RFG Members day of the event (1 May). Director UK and CEO of DP World London Gateway was named ‘Multimodal Person- scoop awards at GB Railfreight (GBRf) was named Rail ality of the Year’. Multimodal Freight Operator of the Year; Malcolm Logistics won ‘3PL of the year’; Mediter- The awards were voted for by the readers RFG Members scooped a number of ranena Shipping Company (MSC) won of the Multimodal Newsletter as well as awards at the 11th Multimodal Awards ‘Sea Freight Operator of the Year’; Mari- exhibitors. • time Transport won ‘Road Freight Opera- Felixstowe branch line works set to unlock new rail freight capacity

As a part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, engineers We know that there is more work to do on this busy corridor and have started a £60.4m programme of works to transform the we will continue to make the case for investment alongside our single track branch line to allow more freight being trans- industry colleagues.” ported by rail to and from the Port of Felixstowe by installing a 1.4km track loop near Trimley Station. This additional track Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, said: “Together will allow the line to operate more effectively, giving the flex- with Network Rail, Greater Anglia is investing in transforming the ibility needed to run more freight trains as well as improve railway in East Anglia. In a couple of years the Felixstowe line the reliability of existing passenger services. will be transformed with brand new longer trains with more seats running on an improved line. In the meantime, I’d like to reassure The work on the branch line in this area will support up to 10 customers that they will be able to complete their journeys on this additional trains in each direction to move goods to and from the line during the works, even if part of it is by replacement bus.” Port of Felixstowe. With each additional freight train taking the equivalent of up to 76 lorries off the roads, the upgrade works will Clemence Cheng, managing director at Hutchison Ports Europe, help to reduce congestion and pollution for the local community said: “Railfreight plays an essential role in distributing goods and the wider region. around the United Kingdom. Existing rail services from the Port of Felixstowe save over 100 million HGV miles per year from the In addition to the track re-doubling, works will include the up- roads, cutting carbon and easing congestion. We already have grade of several level crossings to make them safer and new the widest range of rail services of any UK port with 33 freight bi-directional signalling infrastructure to support the demand for train movements in and out per day and there is strong demand more freight trains. Once complete, there will be a more reliable for additional rail capacity. The works to improve the branch line service, improving journeys for all passengers. will support sustainable UK economic growth and improve access to international markets for businesses across the country. Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s route managing director for An- glia, said: “This is a significant upgrade to one of the most im- “Work will begin from the weekend of 7 April 2018 and take place portant freight routes in the country. This work will help us to most weekends until autumn 2019. To allow a safe environment meet the demand for freight to and from Felixstowe port, and at to undertake the work for our engineers, buses will replace the same time, increase reliability for passenger services. The trains between Ipswich and Felixstowe from 1850hrs Saturday long term strategy to move more freight by rail is good for the UK evenings and all day Sunday when works are taking place. On economy and will lessen the traffic on busy roads like the A14.” Bank holidays (excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day), rail Paul McMahon, Network Rail’s managing director for freight and replacement bus services will be in place to allow passengers to national passenger operators, said: “This is a vital first step to completed their journey.” growing capacity on the network to meet the needs of our customers. The £60m investment by the Strategic Freight Network is set to deliver an additional 10 paths in each direction by 2019.

According to the ORR’s Freight Rail same quarter last year, and is the Freight stats Usage report the total volume of rail lowest Q3 volume recorded since the freight moved decreased to 4.3bn net start of the time series in 1996-97 Q1. show 3% fall in tonne kilometres in 2017-18 Q3 com- rail volumes pared to 2016-17 Q3. Total freight train kilometres was 8 million km, a reduction of 0.45 mil- The volume of rail freight moved in Construction recorded its highest Q3 lion km (5%) compared to 2016-17 October to December 2017 fell by freight moved with 1.1bn net tonne Q3. This is the lowest Q3 amount re- 3% compared to the same quarter km. Total freight lifted was 18.8 million corded since the time series began in last year, primarily due to a 21% fall tonnes in 2017-18 Q3. This was a de- 2010-11 Q1. • in coal moved. crease of 10% compared with the

13 GUEST ARTICLE

The end of the graffiti era By Liliane Capril-Carniere Auwerter EPSRC Centre for Doctorate Training in Sustainable Civil Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London

It is night, and a 20 year-old approaches a stationary train. operating company became the canvas for a mural by Banksy. The aim is to vandalise the train with graffiti. This person After much discussion, the company took the decision not to re- will spray a name, or even a gang sign. The nozzle can is move a piece of such high artistic value. The result? The mural pressed and the paint leaves the pressurised vessel to stick was vandalised by rival tagger TOX. After hearing several such to the surface of the train. However, the paint partially rolls stories about the difficulties in dealing with graffiti, the founders of off the surface on the first letter. The tagger is disappointed TAGLESS were inspired to come up with a solution. and instead tags the next train. TAGLESS is an award winning protective coating against graffiti This is not the script of a movie; this is becoming a reality. Imperi- and tagging. It’s a bio-inspired innovative technology that can be al College PhD researchers have come up with a new protective applied to most surfaces using a paint brush. Most graffiti paints coating against graffiti paint – TAGLESS. They are interested in sprayed onto the protected surface can easily be removed with methods to discourage graffiti. They spoke with several organi- light scrubbing. TAGLESS has an interesting feature; most spray zations that are affected by graffiti and found that most of them paint simply rolls off the surface. The aim is to discourage tag- remove tagging quickly when spotted, because where there is gers from continuing or returning to tagging the same place. In graffiti, there is an increase in crime rate. addition, the coating is significantly cheaper than other graffiti removal techniques. The most heavily affected council in London spends around £600,000 per annum removing graffiti, and it is estimated that The founders are experts in these types of coatings, using the the United Kingdom as a whole spends close to £1 billion. Rail knowledge from their PhD studies to develop the innovative operating companies say that they remove stock from circulation material. While competitors use expensive chemicals, and try as soon as graffiti is spotted, since one single tag attracts many to decrease the adhesion of the graffiti paint and the surface, more. TAGLESS uses a different method of combined adhesion forces that makes the paint stick more to some features and less to For example, a power station belonging to one prominent rail others. This causes the paint to roll off when a certain drop size is achieved.

The start-up is looking to test the product in trains, and prove that the coating discourages tagging. TAGLESS is happy to send over samples! To get in touch send an email to tagless.pro- [email protected].

Figure – Ceramic tile that was protected with TAGLESS on the right side. Yellow paint was sprayed onto the surface of both protected and un- protected sides. On the right side, the paint rolls off the surface. This should discourage taggers from tagging again.

14 RFG SPONSOR PARTNERS 2018

The Rail Freight Group (RFG) would like to thank each of its Sponsor Partners for 2018. These companies come from within the core RFG membership and have chosen to provide additional support for the group’s activities and events throughout the year. Together they represent a wide range of key stakeholders and RFG would like to sincerely thank all of them for their commitment to the group and ongoing support to the UK rail freight sector. GUEST ARTICLE

Waste by Rail - The London soil hubs

By Greg Hopewell and Roland Williams, FCC Environment

In April last year, I [Greg] moved positions within FCC, join- Another benefit customers enjoy is the hard surfacing providing ing a specialist team – Soil Management Solutions. The team safer discharge and negligible HGV damage compared with tip- works nationwide managing excavation and construction/ ping at landfill sites. In addition to this, the ability to supply soil demolition wastes (primarily sub-soils, clays, contaminated customers with aggregates at the railheads provides further HGV soils and made ground) offering bulk haulage, treatment, and productivity benefits. disposal and recovery options. One area of expertise is rail contracts – namely the bulk movement of soils and other The freight trains are made up of a class 66 loco with between 18 wastes by rail to various rail-connected waste management and 22 open top box wagons (JNAs or similar) with each wagon facilities. carrying around 70 tonnes. Loading takes between 2.5 and 4 hours with discharge taking around 4 hours, undertaken by 360 Historically, (previously as Shanks Waste Management – a degree excavators/material handlers with clamshell grabs. founder member of the Rail Freight Group) this team has been involved in placing over 30 million tonnes of construction soils, Currently, the sub-soils travel to FCC’s Calvert facility, north of contaminated soils, ballast, ash, tunnel arisings and household Aylesbury where they are placed to restore an old clay quarry, waste on to the rail network. Notable contracts include Crossrail, providing a re-use for these materials. Previously material has CTRL, the Olympic Park development, Canary Wharf, Chatham gone to FCC’s Sutton Courtenay (Oxfordshire) and Stewartby Dockyard development and the widening of the North Circular. (Bedfordshire) facilities.

A fairly recent development has been the establishment of two To put all of this in to context, we looked at three jobs that ran in to strategically located railheads in London that are permitted to re- the railheads in 2017. Over a six-month period, 158,300 tonnes ceive excavation and construction/demolition wastes (including of material from these three jobs were tipped which equates to contaminated soils). The sites are at Bow (E15 2PJ), adjacent 8,610 HGV loads. By tipping at the FCC railhead facilities as to the Queen Elizabeth 2 stadium and Cricklewood (NW2 1LN) opposed to the nearest viable landfill, a total of 213,902 HGV which is at the bottom of the M1 motorway. The rationale was, by miles, in predominantly urban London, were prevented whilst saving HGV miles and increasing HGV productivity, divert these only 10,600 rail miles were accrued. Current data within the in- materials from landfill sites in and around London and move dustry suggests that rail miles, vs the equivalent HGV road miles, them by rail to rail-linked FCC or third party facilities. produce 76% less CO2, 15 times less NOx and 90% less PM10 particulate matter for each tonne of material moved. Bow East, a large facility capable of operating 24/7, opened at the end of 2014 and has been open for 41 months. With a The growth and success of the two sites is encouraging on many throughput to date of 1.1 million tonnes, this is the busier of the levels. With Greater London developing in so many areas for the two sites. FCC have partnered with DB Cargo at Bow East. DB foreseeable future, further rail-connected London soils hubs are Cargo are sub-contracted by FCC to load and haul the material planned; one is on track to open autumn 2018 with a further two and FCC provide a rail connected waste management facility for anticipated in 2019. The current tonnage, circa 800,000 tonnes the unloading and placement of the material. for 2018, is set to grow to over a million tonnes next year and is expected to increase even further going forward. In addition to Cricklewood South, also capable of operating 24/7, opened in the four railhead sites that FCC already operate, ongoing devel- late 2015 and has been open for 32 months. To date there has opments are underway to supply sufficient outlets for the London been a throughput of 650,000 tonnes. The site is restricted in materials for the long term future. All of these receiving facilities size but is currently under development to [significantly] increase will re-use the materials, either in restoration or construction, with throughput. In a similar way to Bow East, Cricklewood South is a some becoming development platforms for residential or com- partnership between FCC and GB Railfreight (GBRf). GBRf op- mercial benefit. erate the site and haul the material and FCC provide a rail-connected end point for the material.

What makes the hub sites so successful and appealing is, due Contact: to their strategic locations, they reduce the total number of miles, often significantly, that HGVs have to travel, particularly across Greg Hopewell urban London. This increases productivity of HGVs by allowing [email protected] them to do more loads per day and hence the programme of works is often reduced. Substantially less HGVs are therefore Roland Williams employed per project to complete and clients enjoy the fast turn- [email protected] around and all-weather tipping afforded by the railheads. 16 The case for rail freight By Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager at the Campaign for Better Transport

Recent rail freight figures show a positive future for rail site, which translates to around 880 long-distance lorry freight in consumer goods and construction materials, movements taken off the busy roads of East End of London. which together now account for almost two-thirds of UK rail freight. In fact, the biggest issue facing rail freight Norris Waste Management, a new rail customer, has opened is a shortage of infrastructure capacity, so continued a location on the Greenwich peninsula which will be taking government investment to unblock pinch points and im- non-hazardous soils by rail to land remediation projects prove the capability of the Strategic Freight Network is around the UK. Brett Aggregates’ new plant and rail capacity crucial to satisfy customer demand in both sectors. delivered a 27% increase in traffic at Ipswich Port between 2016 and 2017 with a new rail flow from Port of Ipswich to The government should support rail freight because of the London concrete in Watford. socioeconomic benefits to UK plc in recognition of the lack of parity between HGVs and rail. The latest research we com- The consumer market, which has seen consistent growth with missioned in January shows that HGVs are still only paying a 10% increase in the past three years, now makes up 40% for a third of the costs they impose on the economy; in fact, of rail freight. Ports, terminals and other users of rail freight the HGV sector receives a £6bn subsidy each year, which have invested in infrastructure and other capital equipment, makes it difficult for rail freight to compete – hence the need with the ports of Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway for upgrades and affordable freight charges in the next con- and Liverpool all making significant contributions. trol period. Felixstowe, the largest UK container port, continues to grow The construction sector, which expanded by 7% last year and invest in rail facilities. It became the first port in the UK and was nearly 60% up over the previous decade, has a to handle more than one million TEU by rail in a single year. bright future fuelled by the demand for housing and infra- Furthermore, the £60m branch line upgrades from Ipswich structure development. The latest quarterly ORR freight to Felixstowe, jointly funded by Network Rail and Hutchison statistics show construction traffic grew 5%. Furthermore, in Ports, will allow up to 47 freight trains to run per day in each London almost half of building materials are delivered by rail. direction between the port and Ipswich. The planning permission to build a modern aggregates rail freight terminal on existing rail lands at Cricklewood, North Veridon’s new iPort rail hub, part of the iPort logistics hub London to service the £4.5bn Brent Cross housing regenera- at Doncaster, expected to bring up to 5,000 new jobs to the tion is noteworthy, as it represented one of the few remaining area, is fully operational and is the first inland strategic rail suitable sites in the capital with good rail and road connec- freight terminal built for 10 years. The terminal connects to tions. Without the rail terminal, building between 7,000-8,000 the East Coast Main Line and is located next to the M18, apartments would not be viable as all these construction ma- close to Sheffield Airport and within two hours of the East terials would have to be delivered by HGVs with all the asso- Coast’s deep-water ports. ciated congestion, pollution and safety impacts. Rail freight, the safer and cleaner alternative to HGVs, needs Furthermore, this planning consent sets a crucial precedent enhanced capacity to cater for demand and to help the gov- which demonstrates that local authorities should support ernment meets its decarbonisation and productivity agen- local rail freight terminals based on the wider national and das. sub-regional socioeconomic benefits, as long as there are adequate mitigation measures to handle local impacts. First appeared in Rail Technology Magazine (RTM) April/ May 2018 The Bow rail freight terminal in East London experienced a record-breaking week with 15,840 tonnes coming into the 17 RFG OPINION

Getting whisky off the roads By David Spaven, Scottish Representative, Rail Freight Group

Transport Scotland’s 2017 guide to rail freight – ‘Deliver- Yet an integrated road-rail option is perfectly feasible, with ing Your Goods’ – highlighted the crucial role played by convenient mothballed railheads located at Elgin and Keith. rail in the transport of whisky from Scotland to foreign And the Scottish Government’s 2017 rail freight strategy took markets. an upbeat line which should encourage prospects for whisky by train: ‘We will galvanise efforts to overcome the tech- One of the key positive outcomes of the otherwise infamous nical, cultural and regulatory challenges towards a ‘can do’ Beeching Report of 1963 was the development of a network approach, with the needs of rail freight customers at its heart. of container terminals linked by fast, fixed-formation ‘Freight- We will invest, along with the industry, in the whole system liner’ trains. Terminals in Glasgow, and later Coatbridge, be- solutions and innovations which can meet the demands of came central to the whisky supply chain – and in 2018 Coat- the modern market, for the benefit of Scotland’s economy, its bridge Freightliner still provides those crucial daily links to environment and its communities.’ Britain’s big four deep sea ports at Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway and Liverpool. In Central Scotland – with appropriate pump-priming from the Scottish Government – rail is well-placed to make a break- However, southbound movements of the finished product through at key spirits destinations, which could be served represent just one element of the whisky supply chain. Every by a shuttle train service linking Speyside, maturation and year nearly 1.5m tonnes of bulk spirit is shifted from the North bottling plants, and hub container railheads at Coatbridge, of Scotland to maturation sites and blending plants in Central Grangemouth and Mossend. The largest grain distillery in Scotland – but 100% of this traffic has been on road since Europe, at Cameron Bridge, has its own rail sidings connect- 1992. Individual malt distilleries are far too small to serve by ing with the mothballed Levenmouth branch line, the subject direct rail connection, and even substantial grain distilleries of a buoyant grassroots campaign for the return of passen- have seen their dedicated rail sidings fall into abeyance in ger and freight trains to this neglected corner of Scotland. the face of intense road competition. And it is just two miles by road from Cameron Bridge to the major bottling plant at Leven. Other large grain distilleries sit In an attempt to find a more sustainable solution – which beside operational railways at Invergordon and Girvan, with would also be competitive with road haulage – the regional potential opportunities to transport wheat, as well as spirit, transport partnership, HITRANS, pioneered the Lifting the by train. Spirit trial train service from Elgin to Grangemouth in 2013, part-funded by the European Union. This attracted support At Cambus / Blackgrange, the largest bonded warehouse from distillers and the wider food and drink sector, with the site in Europe lies adjacent to the Stirling-Alloa railway, while Scotch Whisky Association concluding that the trial ‘demon- the massive Shieldhall bottling plant in south west Glasgow strated real appetite across the supply chain for change’. is less than a mile by road from a mothballed freight railhead Many lessons were learnt, but more than four years on – in at Deanside. Major maturation complexes in Dumbarton, the absence to date of sufficient commitment and collabo- Drumchapel and Dalmuir are on average only 12 miles by ration between the whisky sector, the rail industry and the lorry from Deanside or an alternative railhead at Elderslie. Scottish Government – the roads are still taking all the strain. The scope for rail to provide a high-quality, sustainable al- Complete dependence on road haulage has other down ternative to road is clear, but progress is crucially dependent sides, both in terms of climate change (CO2 emissions), on a strategic perspective – and collaboration between the road damage and road safety, with lorries disproportionately private and public sectors – in order to realise the substantial involved in fatal road accidents. There are particular worries commercial, economic and environmental prizes on offer.• along the single-carriageway A95 through Speyside, where 50% of all HGV movements are whisky-related, and on the First appeared in The Scotsman (April 2018) A9 to the south which sees around 50,000 long-distance whisky vehicle trips annually. 18 RFG Events 2018: Attend our events and help support the rail freight sector

6 February - RFG Members’ Party Truckles, Central London On 6 February RFG hosted its popular Members’ Party at Truckles, Central London.

19 April - Rail Freight Conference Addleshaw Goddard, London The Rail Freight Group Conference returns for its 26th year, convening the entire industry to explore how to respond to emerging opportunities and overcome the biggest challenges facing the sector in 2018 and beyond.

1 May - Multimodal Group Meeting Multimodal Birmingham NEC RFG is delighted to again be hosting its regular Group Meeting at the Multimodal 2018 exhibition. Now in its 11th year, Multimodal is the UK and Ireland’s premier freight transport, logistics and supply chain management event.

11 September - RFG Awards Dinner De Vere Latimer Estate, Chesham, Bucks. The prestigious RFG Awards, which recognise excellence in all aspects of rail freight, are now open for entries. We would encourage all our members to use this opportunity to take the chance to acknowledge the outstanding work done by your teams up and down the country, each and every day.

Winners will be presented with their trophies at an informal ceremony and dinner on Tuesday 11 September 2018 at a new venue this year, the De Vere Latimer Estate, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1UG.

Click the link to download a 2018 RFG AWARDS Entry Form.

7 November - AGM and Autumn Group Meeting Held at The Port of Sunderland, with a port visit in the afternoon. Full details to be announced in due course.

12 December - Christmas Lunch The Royal Lancaster London, Central London The RFG Xmas Lunch will be held on Wednesday 12 December 2018 at the Royal Lancaster London Hotel . Full details will be announced in due course.

To book your place at any of the RFG’s excellent events throughout the year, please call Phillippa O’Shea on 020 3116 007, email her at [email protected] or visit our website www.rfg.org.uk/events for more details and booking forms. Planning Update - Burges Salmon May 2018

process. With the guidance provided by PINS, RSP will now Planning Update need to produce a report that ticks the correct boxes to satisfy the Planning Act criteria. This is a striking reminder to By Elizabeth Dunn, Partner and developers of the need to be clear on what project it is they Stephen Humphreys, Solicitor, Burges Salmon are applying for and how it satisfies the legal tests in the Planning Act. Whilst PINS would have been consulted be- In this edition’s update, we look at recent news relating fore the application was submitted, and would have been to applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure provided with a draft DCO to consider, there was clearly not Projects. After a quiet spell in the Development Consent enough information provided on how the project satisfied the Order (DCO) world we report on an interesting applica- Planning Act tests. tion withdrawal (which would have been the first non-ac- ceptance for failure to meet the Planning Act criteria) Kemsley Paper Mill (K4) Combined Heat and Power Plant and progress on two other DCOs advancing through the accepted for examination system. This application was for the construction and operation of a replacement Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Generating Manston Airport Development Consent Order withdrawn Station (K4) with a potential nominal power output of 68-73 An application by developer RiverOak Strategic Partners Megawatts at the existing Kemsley Paper Mill in Sitting- (RSP) for a DCO to develop a cargo hub at Manston Airport bourne, Kent. It was accepted for examination on 26 April in Ramsgate has been (unusually) temporarily withdrawn by 2018 after an application was submitted for the plant on 6 the applicant. The application, which was submitted on April April 2018. 10 2018, included plans for Manston Airport to accommodate 12,000 air cargo flights per year through the airport. The station would replace an existing CHP Plant (K1) which RSP hopes to re-open the airport, which has been closed for is nearing the end of its operational life, and would provide a total of 4 years, by 2021. electricity and steam to the paper mill, with any excess electricity being exported to the grid. Although the application is RSP produced a four-phase plan spread across 15 years being submitted by DS Smith, it is intended that E.ON will be for an ambitious redevelopment including: the creation of 19 the company to build and operate the plant and they have new air cargo stands; updating of the airport’s runway; 4 new been closely involved in the preparation of the application passenger aircraft stands; an updated passenger terminal; a from the outset. The station will supply electricity and steam refurbished fire station and new fire training area; an aircraft to the Kemsley Paper Mill, and will comprise a number of recycling facility; a flight training school; hangars for aircraft buildings, including a gas turbine, a heat recovery steam related business; highway improvements; and the creation generator, a dump condenser, a turbine hall, an auxiliary of a museum quarter. package boiler and various other ancillary buildings, plant and machinery. It is speculated that the cost of putting the infrastructure for the Manston Airport project in place could reach £479 million. The Planning Inspectorate now has approximately three months to prepare for the Examination. Registration opened The PINS outlined their concerns to RSP as: on 2 May, which gives third parties until 8 June 2018 to reg- ister to become an Interested Party and to make representa- Sufficient Information tions on the proposal. PINS considered that there was an absence of sufficient information within the application documents them to make a Tees CCPP Examination timetable published decision about whether the proposed development consti- This application for a gas-fired combined cycle gas turbine tutes a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) (CCGT) power station in Teesside had its preliminary meet- within the meaning of the Planning Act 2008. This is the first ing on 10 April 2018 and following this, the examination time- time that PINS have not been satisfied that a project meets table was sent to interested parties on 18 April. the criteria laid down in the Act. The power station, which could generate up to 1,700 mega- There were also gaps in the application information: in the watts (enough to power 1.5 million homes or 5 million peo- ecological, archaeological and ground investigation survey ple), replaces the old Teesside Power Station which ceased data presented within the Environmental Statement (ES) ac- operation in 2013. The previous Station, a 1,875MW CCGT companying the application. This created uncertainty in the plant, once provided up to 3% of the entire power needs of assessment of likely significant effects. England, Scotland and Wales. Adequacy Issues Written representations must be received by 16 May and the PINS also found inconsistencies and omissions in the noise examination will be completed by 10 October 2018. and vibration assessment provided by RSP, as well as a lack of adequacy in the Transport Assessment and Funding Statement.

It seems clear that RSP’s application would not have been accepted had they chosen to continue with it. If RSP had not withdrawn, this instance would have been the first non-ac- ceptance due to whether the NSIP test has been satisfied. Contact: The application comprised over 60 documents, and was over Elizabeth Dunn, Partner 11,000 pages, but this clearly did not satisfy the concerns [email protected] raised by PINS. RSP has expressed an intention to re-sub- mit their application in a matter of weeks, which will be treat- ed as a fresh application for the purposes of the approvals Stephen Humphreys, Associate [email protected] www.burges-salmon.com Westminster Update - JR Consulting May 2018

, when they are thinking about developing business cases, Update on Transport to pull out the factors that might support their case so that we can take a more rounded view when making a funding Committee inquiries decision.” By Jonathan Roberts, MD, JR Consulting In reply to Grahame Morris MP (Lab, Easington), the Minister agreed that “transport spending has a big part to play in en- The House of Commons Transport Committee has suring that we do not entrench prevailing economic strengths launched a ‘Freight and Brexit’ inquiry. It has called for and reinforce them in a repetitive way. We need to use trans- written submissions by 8 June, and will then start oral port as a means of galvanising economic development in all inquiry sessions. It will examine the potential effects of parts of the country.” Brian Etheridge drew attention to the Brexit on UK freight operations and assess the prepara- strategic case required in the toolkit, which “looks at much tory steps operators, their customers and the Govern- wider societal benefits; it looks at the overall context of the ment need to take. The full terms of reference are linked development of the area and the economic appraisal of the here. plans of local authorities and LEPs. Those enable us to col- our in a business case much more fully than just the BCR.” The Committee is particularly interested to receive written evidence addressing the following: Huw Merriman MP (Con, Bexhill & Battle) noted that while the South East benefited from substantial spending, the pas- • the scale and nature of the challenges and opportunities senger volumes were higher than some other regions. “Any Brexit presents to UK freight companies and their customers; of us can claim that our own region does not get as much • the adequacy of steps being taken by freight companies, as it should… Northern Rail receives a per passenger per their representatives bodies, their customers and the Gov- kilometre subsidy of about 25p, but the two south-eastern ernment in preparation for the challenges and opportunities providers receive between 4p and 6p”. How then did the DfT of Brexit; “try to boost parts of the UK that need further investment • mode and/or sector-specific requirements for additional and, on the other hand… not leave behind the regions that Government funding, or other changes to Government fund- may be essential to provide the subsidy...? It strikes me as a ing plans, particularly in relation to transport infrastructure, to very difficult balancing act.” The Minister agreed. support the needs of freight; and • any new arrangements needed for the licencing, regulation Huw Merriman also asked if “there is a danger that regions and training of operators and workers in the freight sector that do not have the advantage of a mayor to join them to- after Brexit (including the adequacy of measures set out in gether will get left behind, because they do not have that the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Bill). powerful presence to win more of the share?” Jo Johnson acknowledged that that “may put them at an advantage… Meanwhile the Transport Committee continues with two fur- [However] wherever they come from in the country, they will ther rail-related inquiries: continue to get support from the Department for Transport to • hearings on the latest East Coast Rail Franchise collapse, develop good schemes.” Forecasting was also addressed, where the Rail Delivery Group had provided written evidence including reference to Network Rail’s 30-year long term plan- in April 2018, reviewing the lessons for franchising proce- ning horizon, which took account of population demography. dures, while on 21 May a range of witnesses will give oral evidence, including Lord Adonis, and Elaine Holt, the former Committee Chair Lilian Greenwood MP (Lab, Nottingham Chief Executive of Directly Operated Railways (when the South) pressed the Minister was the cancelled electrification East Coast line was semi-nationalised) schemes. She did not accept Jo Johnson’s argument that • hearings on rail infrastructure investment where the lat- there were better value-for-money (VfM) options now availa- est witnesses were Rail Minister Jo Johnson, and Brian ble, and observed that the National Audit Office said that the Etheridge, Director of Rail Network Services at the Depart- Department had run out of money. There was also disagree- ment for Transport. Key points from their oral session on 30 ment on whether bi-mode trains were adequate technology April are set out below, and the DfT’s written evidence is at the time of the decision, or not, and about the validity of linked here. It was Jo Johnson’s first session with the Com- the decision to cancel the Midland Main Line electrification. mittee. The Minister said he was awaiting an autumn 2018 report on The Committee asked first about the spread of rail invest- technology options, having issued a 2040 challenge to the ment around the regions, with London tending to lead on rail industry to eliminate diesel operations. Lilian Greenwood spending per head. Jo Johnson said that the DfT did not as- argued that more electrification would be practical and VfM. sess spend on a per head basis, and was “guided by the Brian Etheridge observed that “capital costs [of electrifica- business cases that come to us. We are keen to support tion] are more significant than we thought they would be. strong business cases wherever they are in the country… Another cost, which we probably have not fully evaluated, is all regions are within 33% of the average spend per head the huge disruption that electrification schemes cause.” Huw per region, with the north-west expected to receive the most Merriman observed that HS1 to Hastings wasn’t affordable spend per head between 2017-18 and 2020-21… Obviously, with full electrification, but that bi-modes made it viable. we have to be attentive as a Government Department to value for money for taxpayers.” The Committee then focused on the new ‘pipeline’ approach for enhancements. The DfT was asked if it had “the requi- There was new DfT guidance “for a regional rebalancing site expertise and capacity to take greater control of railway toolkit that helps them flush out factors that may not be cap- enhancements”? Jo Johnson replied that they were learning tured in a classic business case, in particular in the bene- lessons from Control Period 5. Now “we will not commit at fit-cost ratio. There are sometimes factors that are hard to the start of the control period to a full suite of projects, but we capture in a narrow monetary sense, and we are keen to help regions, local authorities and local enterprise partnerships Continued over the page 21 Westminster Update - JR Consulting May 2018

progressively more detailed and developed business case [Enhancement] is being retained by the Department for a prior to the commitment of further public funding. long-term view about what is needed… That is one of the advantages we see of a future pipeline: we should be able Brian Etheridge said that some steps required “a collabo- to balance what is deliverable with the overall impact on the rative effort with Network Rail and the supply chain... To a network and the availability of skills.” certain extent, we rely on Network Rail to take some of these measures.” The DfT was “not turning the back on skills in the The Minister rebutted the suggestion that Network Rail’s industry.” Later, he said that “ One of our gateways before route devolution was a half-way house to privatisation. “We delivery in future will be that the possession strategy will be want the system operator to play an important role in en- set out before we agree to start the delivery”. suring that the rail network operates as a cohesive whole. That is its role, to help with the timetabling of the system and There was a discussion about the level at decision making to help with what Brian described as the 30-year long-term was taken for enhancements. Jo Johnson agreed that it was planning. The crucial function of the system operator is get- a ministerial decision “For significant enhancement projects. ting those sorts of system benefits going, with really coherent Clearly, there is no one threshold to determine what is sig- planning for the long term, and a timetable that works… The nificant; what is significant is done on a case-by-case basis system operator itself will be regulated by the ORR, so it will in the Department. For the bulk of expenditure, you would be subject to regulatory supervision, separate from the rest expect Network Rail to be able to take decisions within del- of Network Rail.” egated limits… The intention is to avoid the situation where Government commit prematurely to schemes that end up Finally the Committee asked about the increased role that is getting cancelled because Government do not have a de- foreseen for third-party funding and financing. Jo Johnson tailed enough understanding of the eventual cost of delivery, said there was a two-month window with effect from 31 May, and we end up” with the Great Western situation. for schemes to be proposed which have not been generated within the long-term planning process. “We want to use the Brian Etheridge offered extensive comments on the new window we have created to flush them out, alert us to them process which involved the ORR less for enhancements, and enable us to give a steer as to the kinds of things we as there was now “more like a contract between the Gov- will be looking for in terms of an eventual business case that ernment and Network Rail to deliver specific enhancement might be suitable for us.” projects”. Lilian Greenwood was concerned about the visi- bility of the pipeline – previously there was clarity about live The DfT would give “a steer to the promoters about the kinds schemes. Jo Johnson accepted this needed addressing: of things they would need to demonstrate in order to be “That is something we are giving some thought to at the mo- credible. At that point, they would go back and develop the ment. We want to deliver on the strategic vision for rail… strategic outline and the business case planning process, to The level of transparency will be consistent with the strategic give their schemes further credibility for us to assess… The vision set out by the Secretary of State.” critical thing is that it will be additional. Any investment in our rail network generated through the market-led approach will The Committee Chair also asked about apparent inconsist- be additional to the £48 billion that we have made available ency with a centralised pipeline but at the same time seeking for CP6.” • devolution. The answers she got weren’t themselves wholly consistent:

Chair: (Q453) But it sounds as though all decisions around the pipeline gateways will be centrally made in DFT. Is that right? Jo Johnson: I would have thought so.

Brian Etheridge: I think the pipeline will be a much better pipeline by virtue of devolution in Network Rail and the in- volvement of sub-regional transport bodies. It will be a better-informed pipeline, because they are probably better equipped than we are in the centre to decide the relative priorities for their areas… Ultimately, there is only a certain amount of work you can do on the network at any one time. These things have to be controlled centrally, and that is the safest way forward.

The Committee didn’t get a clear answer about the proposed £9 billion in Control Period 6 for enhancements. Jo Johnson advised that “I cannot give you any detail as to the level of breakdown of the £9 billion at this point. We have not broken it down yet, and I cannot say what level of detail we will pub- lish. In reply to Daniel Zeichner MP (Lab, Cambridge), Brian Contact: Etheridge said that “Operations, maintenance and renewals Jonathan Roberts, MD, are still within the regulatory framework. They are part of the JR Consulting draft business plans that Network Rail has put forward. The 07545 641 204 regulator will make a decision about whether the amount of [email protected] money that Government are putting aside for that element of www.jrc.org.uk Network Rail’s job is sufficient going forward…

22 European News May 2018

place on Friday 11 May. The decision was announced in Rail Mega trucks decision Technology Magazine last week. Parties within the rail freight sector had campaigned against the decision, fearing a three The cross-border transport of longer and heavier trucks per cent loss of market share if the measure had passed. will not be permitted in the EU. This was confirmed in a trialogue meeting of the EU, after it was decided by the Mega trucks can be up 25m long and weigh sixty tonnes. transport committee of the European Parliament. The They can carry larger volumes, requiring fewer trips. How- decision is seen as good news for the rail freight sector, ever, rail transport is more environment-friendly, and moving which was likely to lose market share if the cross-border cargo from the road has been a main objective of the EU. transport of mega trucks was made possible. Any expansion of mega-truck sizes would shift freight transport from rail back to the road, parties opposing the measure The meeting involving the European Commission, the Coun- argued. cil of the European Union and the European Parliament took

the Erfa Annual Event, a seminar Welcome for new that gathered about 100 experts PKP “turns back from all over Europe. UK-Duisburg link clock” In a statement Erfa said: “EU rules The European Railfreight Associa- Getlink (Eurotunnel) has welcomed oblige Member States to put in place tion (Erfa) and ALLRAIL have said the inaugural scheduled rail freight incentives for reducing rail access they are very disappointed that the service from DP World’s London charges. Yet in many countries the Polish incumbent PKP is planning Gateway terminal to Duisburg. It costs keep going up! Access charges to integrate all public operators set off on 10 April, with a load in- are a significant cost on the rail busi- and infrastructure into one holding cluding containers bound for an ness, especially as for the most part with joint management of finances, onward movement to China. The rail’s main competitor road does not personnel & procurement. new regular service follows trial pay a similar per km fee for using the trains last year and will be operat- infrastructure. What can be done to Carole Coune, the Acting Secretary ed by GBRf and Transfesa on be- ensure that access charges support General of Erfa, said: “Instead of half of CMA CGM Logistics. rail’s competitiveness and attractive- turning the clock backwards, a focus ness for customers?” on improving quality and reliability in It will initially run weekly, leaving Lon- order to achieve modal shift to rail don on Tuesdays with the return work- Speaking at the event Dirk Stahl, should be adopted. This should in- ing arriving in London on Thursdays. CEO of BLS Cargo and Michail Stahl- clude a framework that encourages A second weekly train each way is hut, CEO of SBB Cargo International, private investment.” already planned, and services could presented about the consequences reach six train pairs per week in the of Rastatt on the economy and cus- Nick Brooks, Secretary General of longer term. • tomer confidence. The UK scheme to ALLRAIL, added: “Separation will al- compensate Railway Undertakings low specialist firms to focus on their for the impact to their services dur- core competency. Efficiency can be ing planned disruptions and the Ital- Cutting access maximised in each activity of the val- ian measure to reduce the imbalance ue chain. Any reform plans should between rail and road were also pre- charges not contradict the goals of the EU 4th sented. Two interesting and inspiring Railway Package”. • “How to reduce access charges for tools based on EU regulations which rail and improve the competitive have improved the quality of the rail offer?” This was the main topic of freight offering. •

Swedish timber firm Domsjö Fiber and Green Cargo have announced that since February, they have now switched more than 5,000 tonnes of pulpwood a week from road to rail. It previously transported pulpwood by road but said “deliveries now occur in a more efficient and more environmentally friendly manner”, with four to five rail shuttles a week from Storuman and Tågsjöberg (in Central Sweden) to Örnsköldsvik.• European News May 2018

News in brief: Amsterdam Container • DB Cargo has bought Terminal connects with the back 49% of shares in DB Cargo Scandinavia new Silk Road A/S from Swedish freight railway Green Cargo. DB Cargo said it is looking to increase its market share in Scandinavia and in particular to attract customers in the Swedish market.

• The new head of SBB Cargo International, Sven Flore, will take up his role in July. The present CEO, A new direct connection has been provided by TMA Logistics, a joint venture Michail Stahlhut, will take launched between Amsterdam Contain- between Hutchison Ports and TMA Hold- over the management of er Terminal and Yiwu in China as part of ings. The railhead at Amsterdam Container Hupac Intermodal AG. the new Silk Road. Terminal has three 700-metre-long tracks He most recently worked which offer a range of intermodal distribu- as an advisor for railway The first train set off on its 11,000km, 16-day tion options. companies and managed journey on 7 March from the intermodal rail- a loco leasing company. head at Amsterdam Container Terminal to • DHL and Rail Cargo Goup have an- the trading hub of Yiwu in Zhejiang province. nounced signing a memorandum of un- • The Port of Rotter- It carried a variety of machinery, mineral fu- derstanding (MOU) with the Austrian Fed- dam is set to build a new els, pharmaceuticals, technical equipment eral Railways to establish a new Silk Road freight line to divert traf- and chemicals. Terminal and logistics ser- route. • fic away from the life-ex- vices for the new rail connection are pired Caland vertical lift bridge. The ‘Theemsweg line’ between Botlek and trains under normal conditions. Europoort will be built by Rastatt crisis could SaVe, a consortium of cost €2bn Carole Coune, Acting Secretary General construction companies. of Erfa pointed out that European freight The project involves build- railway undertakings were operationally Erfa, NEE and UIRR have jointly pub- ing a 4km double-track and financially heavily harmed and are not lished a study undertaken by HTC (Han- electrified line. able to bear these types of losses. Erfa urg- seatic Transport Consultancy) that has es that compensation claims are resolved evaluated the economic damage of the • DB Cargo BTT, the and paid quickly. The focus can then be on Rastatt crisis. chemical and dangerous ensuring that any future incidents do not goods logistics provider of have the same consequences or impact on The assessment of the economic damage DB Cargo, has launched competitiveness towards road. The devel- has been made by determining the val- a new railway line be- opment of contingency plans and improved ue-added losses for the manufacturing and tween Ludwigshafen and performance by Infrastructure Managers, service sectors: the result shows losses of Burghausen. The three- with a focus on cross-border movements at least €2.048bn. weeky service is ran by must be the positive outcome arising from a ‘mixed train’, consisting this hugely disruptive incident and is a top Only a third of the scheduled freight traffic of a KV-wagon and a tank priority for Erfa. • was able to operate in a line which could car pulling the train. (From have hosted during the same period 8,262 RailFreight.com)

• A new automotive rail freight service has began Contact the RFG Team: operating from Le Soler, in the south of France, to Tony Berkeley, Chairman, 07710 431 542 Barcelona. It is the first Maggie Simpson, Executive Director, 07737 007 957 700m train operating on Phillippa O’Shea, Administration Manager, 07931 763 081 the line. The service is James Falkner, Media Officer, 07753 271 110 managed by Deutsche Robin Smith, Welsh Representative, 07968 488 905 Bahn and Renfe. David Spaven, Scottish Representative, 07917 877 399 Mike Hogg, North of England Representative, 07833 402 804 Yvonne Mulder, Project Manager, 07887 767 666

RFG News is published by the Rail Freight Group, 7 Bury Place, London, WC1A. Tel: 020 3116 0007 Fax: 020 3116 0008. www.rfg.org.uk. RFG welcomes comments, letters and short articles. Opinions expressed in these articles are of the author only. RFG News is published primarily for online distribution but we will continue to send hard copies to those readers who request them.