Assessment of capacity allocation and utilisation on capacity constrained parts of the GB rail network Document Title: Final report Version: 1.2 Date: August 2012 SKM Colin Buchanan is part of the Sinclair Knight Merz Group. Sinclair Knight Merz New City Court 20 St Thomas Street London SE1 9RS Tel: +44 (0) 20 7939 6100 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7939 6103 Web: www.skmcolinbuchanan.com LIMITATION: This report has been prepared on behalf of and for the exclusive use of Sinclair Knight Merz (Europe) Ltd‟s Client, and is subject to and issued in connection with the provisions of the agreement between Sinclair Knight Merz and its Client. Sinclair Knight Merz accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for or in respect of any use of or reliance upon this report by any third party. SKM Colin Buchanan is part of the Sinclair Knight Merz Group PAGE i Contents 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of this study ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Capacity utilisation.......................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Report structure .............................................................................................................................................................. 2 2. Background and context ............................................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Background .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Allocation of available capacity....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Track access rights......................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Development of the timetable ......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5 Current track access charging regime ............................................................................................................................ 9 2.6 Review of the evidence base........................................................................................................................................ 10 2.7 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3. Theoretical discussion of capacity allocation and utilisation ................................................................................ 16 3.1 Network capacity .......................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Efficient allocation and use of capacity......................................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Demand ........................................................................................................................................................................ 22 3.4 Capacity and congestion .............................................................................................................................................. 23 4. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.2 Rationale for selecting the case studies ....................................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Case study methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 26 5. Case Study 1 – Great Eastern Main Line .................................................................................................................. 29 5.1 Route overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 29 5.2 Freight path usage........................................................................................................................................................ 31 5.3 Trains and loadings ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 5.4 Demand for more paths ................................................................................................................................................ 35 5.5 Possible capacity and congestion relief measures ....................................................................................................... 36 5.6 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 41 6. Case Study 2 – East Coast Main Line (South) ......................................................................................................... 42 6.1 Route overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 42 6.2 Trains and loadings ...................................................................................................................................................... 45 6.3 Demand for more paths ................................................................................................................................................ 46 6.4 Possible capacity and congestion relief measures ....................................................................................................... 46 6.5 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 49 7. Case Study 3 – Bristol Temple Meads ...................................................................................................................... 51 7.1 Route overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 51 7.2 Trains and loadings ...................................................................................................................................................... 53 7.3 Demand for more paths ................................................................................................................................................ 54 SKM Colin Buchanan is part of the Sinclair Knight Merz Group PAGE ii 7.4 Possible capacity and congestion relief measures ....................................................................................................... 55 7.5 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 57 8. Case Study 4 – South Humberside ........................................................................................................................... 59 8.1 Route overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 59 8.2 Use of freight paths ...................................................................................................................................................... 60 8.3 Trains and loading ........................................................................................................................................................ 61 8.4 Demand for more paths ................................................................................................................................................ 62 8.5 Possible capacity and congestion relief measures ....................................................................................................... 62 8.6 Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 63 9. Findings and conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 64 9.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 64 9.2 Summary of case studies ............................................................................................................................................