ASLEF Freight Journal Autumn 2008

2008·0.4 MB·English

by  Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen

FREIGHT
JOURNAL
Autumn 2008
MEGA LORRIES
TRANSPORT MINISTER SAYS NO
TO LONGER, HEAVIER VEHICLES ...
BUT WILL EU SAY YES?
RAIL FREIGHT SET TO DOUBLE BY 2030
ASLEF JOURNAL
Squash Campaign: Class 66
cab improvements underway
AFTERsomedelay,modifi- Therewasastepbackwards meanwhilefittedallofitsclass
cationstotheClass66cabs fortheimprovementofseats 66locoswithnewseatsaswell
operatedbyFreightlinerare aftertheimprovedversionhad asblindsandarecurrently
underway.Accordingto toberemovedfollowing tryingoutanairconditioning
Freightlinerthedelaywasdue injuriessustainedduetoa system.
totheORRprioritisingbrake weaknessintheadjusting DRShadbeguntofitair
modification,howeverthe handle.Progresshassince conditioningunitstoitclass66
companyhaveassuredASLEF beenmadewitharedesigned locos,howeverthesewere
Coolingsystemsgoontrial
thatthewelfareofdriversis plinththathasbeendelivered causingdamagetotheframe
stillparamountandthatalotof aFreightlinerHHlocomotive andisnowreadyforinstal- ofthevehicle.Somefanshave
attentionhasbeenmadeto anditishopedthatthiswill lation.Freightlinerwillonce beenfittedsincebuttalks
ensuresolutionstothecab passthecabnoise againbeseekingASLEF continuetofindapracticalair
environmentarefitfor assessment.Thismodelis members’feedbackbeforethe conditioningunit.
purpose. currentlyinevaluation.The seatsarerolledoutacrossthe WhilesomeFOCsare
Thefittingofcabblindshad secondsystemhasbeentrial- fleet. progressingquickerthan
beendelayedduetoconcerns fittedunderthewatchfuleyeof Therewasalsopositive others,ASLEFcontinuesto
aboutthestrengthofthe ASLEF’sergonomics newsfromEWSwhobythe makeprogressonCAB
fixtures.Howeverthissituation spokesmanKeithMartinwho endofSeptemberwillhave environmentsforallitsfreight
hassincebeenresolvedanda hasgivenpositivefeedback. fittedrooffansandblindsto drivers.Ithasnotbeenafast
programmeofinstallationis Whenafullprototypeofboth halfoftheirlocos.Itwas process,buttheunionfeels
nowunderway. systemsisfitted,ASLEF decidedthatthiswouldbethe thatrealprogressisbeing
Thishasbeencombined memberswillbeconsulted mostaptwayforwardafter madeandtrialsaretaking
withtwoseparatetrialsofcab andaskedforfeedback.This spirallingcostsofinstallingair placewitheachFOCtoensure
coolingsystems.One isduetotakeplaceinthenear conditioners. asafeandcomfortabledays
mechanismhasbeenfittedto future. GBRailfreighthas workforourmembers.
Freightliner bought by
Bahrainian investors
FREIGHTLINERhaspromisedthatall“existingcontractual
relationshipsincludingcontractsofemploymentandpensions
willremainunaltered”followingthepurchaseofthecompany
byArcaptita,aninternationalinvestmentfirmbasedin
Bahrain.
Arcapitahasacquiredthefreightcompanyfrom3iand
ElectraPrivateEquityforanundisclosedsumandhasvowed
tocontinueitsinvestmentsintobothIntermodalandHeavy
HaulBusinessesaswellasdevelopitsinternationalactivities.
EddieFitzsimonshasclaimedthatFreightliner“havea
clearlydevelopedbusinessstrategyandinvestmentplans
remaininplace,therefore,itisverymuch,businessasusual.”
ItisbelievedthatElectrawillreceivenetproceedsof£71.1
million.
DfT to push the Freight Facilities Grant
THEDfThaveannounceda railorwatertransportinstead movefreightwithinGreat produced,whichwillbe
budgetof£21millionoverthe ofroad.Companieswho Britainbyrailorwater. mailshottopotential
nextthreeyearsforthe decidetotransportgoodson RailwayministerJim applicants.ThenewFreight
FreightFacilitiesGrant. railareabletoapplyfora Fitzpatrickalsoannounced BestPracticecontractwhich
TheFFGisdesignedto grantinordertoassistthem thatacampaigntopublicise wasawardedtoFaber
facilitatethepurchaseofthe financiallyinachievingthis. theFFGschemeto Maunselon1July2008,will
environmentalandsocial Thegrantcanbeappliedfor encouragemoreapplications. alsorequirethemtomarket
benefitsthatresultfromusing byanycompanywishingto Anewleaflethasbeen grantsdirecttobusinesses.
2
ASLEF JOURNAL
Lords
recognises
importance
of rail freight
DESPITEconcernsaboutthe
negativeeffectofCrossrail
onrailfreight,theHouseof
LordsCommitteeexamining
thebill“recognisedthe
importanceofrailfreightto
Report claims rail freight
theUKeconomy,”andwere
“gratefultothefreight
Petitionersfororganising
set to double by 2030 themselvesandpresenting
theircasesefficientlyand
clearly.”
Thecommitteeaccepted
theneedtobuildfreight
ANEWforecastpublishedby expansionoftradefrom urgentchallengesfacingthe capacitytomatchthe
theRailFreightGroupand continentalEuropeaswellas railindustryandGovernment additionalCrossrailtrainsin
FreightTransportAssociation increasesfrombeyondthe inmeetingthefuturedemand ordertoallowfreightto
haspredicatedthatdemand continent.Itisalsoexpected forrailfreight.” growbetweennowand
forrailfreightwilldoubleby tobeboostedbytheuseof ASLEFGeneralSecretary 2015.
2030. railfromnewwarehousesthat KeithNormanexplained,“To Thereportbythe
Theforecastsshowthat arerailconnected. buildnewlinesandincrease committeeensuredthat
therewillbea30%increasein Unfortunatelyitappearsthat capacitycantakedecades. DepartmentofTransport
tonnekmfrom2006to2015 therailnetworkwillsimplynot Thegovernmentispromoting gaveassurancesthat“any
and railfreightwillmorethan beabletokeepupwiththis theuseofrailtotransport subsequentdecisionsbythe
doubleby2030.Growthin demand,evenwhenassuming freight.It’simportanttheyput Promoter(DfT)nottocarry
intermodaltrafficisexpected noincreasesinpassenger theirmoneywheretheirmouth outalloftheproposed
toincreasebyfive-foldinthe trainnumbers.Thechairman isandbegininvestingbefore infrastructureworks
sameperiod. oftheRailFreightGroup,Tony it’stoolateandbeforeour authorisedbytheCrossrail
Muchofthedemandis Berkeleycommented;“'these roadsbecomeevenmore Billwillbetakenonthe
expectedtoberelatedtothe newforecastsdemonstratethe congested.” basisthat…itshouldnot
haveanoverallnegative
impactonthecapabilityof
Rail freight means savings for Tesco
theexistingrailnetworkto
handlethecurrentand
forecastgrowthinrail
freighttrafficto2015.”
MORETescogoodswillbe roundtripbetween GeneralSecretaryKeith
takenbytraininamove DaventryandGrangemouth Normansaid,“Crossrailis
thatwillsave2.4million willrunonSaturdaysin anexcitingprojectandwill
litresofpetrolayear. additiontoitscurrent benefitmillionsintheSouth
TheStobartgrouphas MondaytoFridayservice. Eastandacrossthecountry.
announcedplansthatwill FromGrangemouth,goods Itisessentialhoweverthatit
reduceitspetrolusageand willbetakentoTesco's doesnotjeopardiserail
removehugenumbersof distributioncentreat freight.Thefactthatthe
lorriesfromtheM6. Livingstonbyroad. Lordshaverecognisedthis
Thegrouphasannounced Itishopedthatthemove isvital,andASLEFwillwork
thatitistoexpanditsTesco fromroadtorailwillcut toensurethatwhatshould
railfreightservicebetween costsaswellasreduce beafantasticprojectfor
ScotlandandtheMidlands. congestionandcarbon passengerrailisalsoof
FromearlySeptemberthe emissions. benefittofreightrail.”
STIRLING - KINCARDINE LINE REOPENS InAprilthefirstfreighttrainoperatedonScotland’snewestrailwaybetweenStirlingand
Kincardine.The21Kmlinewasoperatedaspartofadrivingtrainingprogramme.
Thelinewhichwasofficiallyopenedon15thMayandwilloperatepassengerservicesbetweenStirlingandAlloa,wasprimarilybuiltto
helptransportcoalonrailtothepowerstationatLongannetwhileavoidingthecongestedForthrailwaybridge.
ItishopedthatthenewlinewillincreasecapacityforbothfreightandpassengersincentralScotlandanddemonstratesthe
importanceofre-openingexistinglinesordevelopingnewones.
3
ASLEF JOURNAL
THE THREAT OF LHV
FROM EUROPE
Thanks to the hardwork put in by ASLEF and the rest of our colleagues in the Freight
on Rail group, the government has confirmed that there will not be a trial of longer
heavier vehicles in the UK. Much of this hardwork has been done by Philippa
Edmunds from Freight on Rail who warns us that there is still work to be done…
Thethreatof25.5metre60tonneHGVsstill 160,000timesmoredamagingtoroad
existsasthereisadangerthatthesevehicles surfacesthantheaveragecar;itwouldhave
couldcometotheUKovertimeifthe beendifficultfortheconsultantstoimplythat
EuropeanCommissionrecommendsthat LHVswouldnothaveadetrimentalimpact
crossborderLHVstrafficshouldbeallowed. onroadinfrastructure. Justificationonsafety
Thankstoallourjointlobbying,theSecretary groundsforLHVsappearstobebasedon
ofStateforTransport,theRtHonRuthKelly, thepremisethattwoLHVswillreplacethree
announcedon3rdJune2008thatitwillnot HGVSandbycomparingLHVswithallthe
allowtrialsoflongerheavierlorries(LHVs)in latestavailablesafetyfeaturestoHGVs
theUKinwhatisacrucialdecisionifweare whichdonot,butcouldhave,thesame
tostopLHVsataEuropeanlevel.Wewarmly safetyfeaturesastheLHVs.Thesafety
welcometheGovernment’sdecisionand analysisseemsverynarrowandFreighton
urgeittouseallitspowerstolobbyagainst Railisinvestigatingwhethertheimpactsof
LHVsinEurope. emergencysituationswhereLHVsmight
InBrussels,theEuropeanCommission havetoreversesuchasintunnelsorthe
officialsintheTransportandEnergy implicationsofthelargerfueltanksarebeing
Directorate(DGTREN)seemvery fullyanalysed. Itappearsalsothatthe
enthusiasticaboutlongerheavierlorriesand consultantswerenotaskedtoinvestigatethe
arelikelytorecommendthatLHVsshouldbe roadcongestionimplicationsofLHVswhich
allowedinmemberstateswithbi-lateral furtherunderminesthecreditoftheresearch, positionandstatusintheEU.FreightonRail
agreementsbetweencountrieswhichwant allofwhichwewillbehighlightingwith isworkingcloselywithorganisationsacross
LHVs.ItwouldappearthattheEuropean decisionmakers. EuropeopposingLHVswherethereisaweb
Commissionhasdroppedtheideaofforcing Procedurally,thisrecommendation, basedcampaign,launchedinJune2008,
allmemberstatestoallowLHVsbutoncethe expectedinSeptember/October2008,would whichisalreadysupportedbyover40
precedentissetofcrossbordertraffic,LHVs havetogotootherECdepartmentsbefore NGOs,unionandtradeassociation
wouldcometotheUKbydefaultovertime goingbeforetheParliament,whereMEPson representingover10millionpeopleacross
becauseifotherEuropeancountriesallowed theTransportcommitteewouldvotebefore Europe.OnceweknowwhattheEuropean
them,theroadhaulageindustrycouldclaim themotionwentbeforealltheParliament Commissionisformallyrecommendingwe
thatexcludinglongerheavierlorries(LHVs) andCouncilofMinisters.Thismeansthat willbeaskingforyoursupportinthe
wouldbeanti-competitive. legislationcouldbechangedinthenew campaignagain.
Asexpected,theconsultantsfortheEC EuropeanParliamentinthesecondhalfof IntermsoftheUKGovernment’sdecision
haverecommendedthatintroducingLHVsis 2009,whenSweden,whichalreadyhas toinvestigatemodestincreasesinthesizeof
overallbeneficialforEuropeansocietyand LHVs,holdsthepresidency. HGVswebelievethatoveralllargercarbon
thatfreighttransportwithLHVswillbe HoweverinadditiontotheUKGovernment gainscouldbeachievedbyenablingmore
cheaper,butthequestioniswhatismeantby announcementopposingLHVs,theAustrian railfreightratherthanincreasingHGVswhich
cheaperandforwhom?FindingsthatLHVs Governmenthasalsostateditsoppositionto couldaffectrailfreightcompetitivenessinthe
willbesaferthanexistingHGVsandproduce LHVsthissummer.InOctober2007,German futureintheintermodal(domesticand
loweremissionsarebasedontheinaccurate TransportMinistersvotedtorejectLHVs european)railfreightmarkets,whichare
premisethattherewillbelowmodalshiftto highlightingtheincreasedsafetyrisk,after forecasttogrowsignificantly.
roadfromrailandahighutilizationfactorof extensivetrailsinGermanyandwe FreightonRailmaintainsthatwhileroad
LHVswhichisunlikelytomaterializein understandthatitspositionhasnotchanged andrailmodescancomplementeachother
reality.GiventhatexistingHGVsareupto whichiscrucialgivenbothitsgeographical trunkmovementsoflargequantitiesoffreight
4
ASLEF JOURNAL
RUTH KELLY
VS
SAYS NO TO
LHVS
AFTERmonthsofcampaigningand
concern,RuthKellyfinallyputtheRail
Freightindustry’smindateaseinearly
Junebyrejectingproposalsforatrialof
LongerHeavierVehicles.Thedecision
followedanindependentreportbythe
TransportResearchLaboratoryand
Heriot-WattUniversity.
ASLEFthroughitsworkwiththeFreight
onRailgrouphaverelentlesslyargued
againsttheintroductionofLHVs.Wehave
writtentogovernment,briefedMPs,
commissionedpollsandproducedleaflets
andarticlesandthehardworkappearsto
havepaidoff.Ourcasewassimple.LHVs
wouldmakeourroadsmoredangerous,
wouldincreasepollutionandcongestion takes50HGVsfromourroadswith
andwouldunderminecleanerandmore aggregatetrainsremoving120HGVs.
sustainablerailfreight. Whenyouconsiderthatroadfreightnow
Thestudylookedintotheintroduction accountsfor8per-centofUKcarbon
of60-tonne25.5metrelorries,aconcept dioxideemissionsthebenefitsareclear.
that75%ofthepublicwereopposedto. Pertonnecarried,railproducesbetween
Theroadhaulagelobbycontinuedto fiveandtentimesfeweremissionsthan
arguethatlongervehicleswouldleadto roadtransport.
fewerlorriesactuallybeingneeded,thus
reducingemissions,congestionand THE CAMPAIGN
accidents.HoweverFreightonRail Ithasbeenabumpyroadtotheminister’s
researchshowedthatpreviousincreases decisiononLHVs.Itstartedwell,with
haveresultedinmorelorriesdriving formertransportministerSteveLadyman
aroundlessfullcreatingmorepollution havingrespondedtoawrittenparlia-
andCO2emissions. Inaddition,the mentaryquestionontheissueby
reducedcostsofroadhaulagethatlarger explainingthathewouldrefusetoallow60
vehicleswouldleadtowouldincrease tonneor80tonnelorriesontoourroads.
demand,resultinginmorelorries. Justoverayearlaterthegovernment
canbemoresustainablyandmoresafely Therewerealsomanyquestionsover commissionedafreshreportintothe
carriedbyrail,ratherthaneverlargerlorries, thesuitabilityoftheBritishroadnetwork issue.
inlinewithpublicopinion[i].Railfreighthas fortheuseofLHVs.AtrialinGermanyled AlthoughRuthKellycontinuedtomake
thepotentialtodoublevolumesoverthenext totherejectionofLHVs.Themain negativesoundsaboutLHVs,sherefused
25yearsaslongasLHVsarenotintroduced. argumentfortherejectionofthevehicles todismissatrial.Theministerexplained,
Increasesinfuelpriceincreasesmakethe wassafetyfearsandconcernsoverthe “Iamalsoscepticalofthesevehicles,but
caseforrail,whichisenergyefficient,much strengthofbridgesontheAutobahn.The thereisanabsenceofevidence,andthis
strongerandFreightonRailislobbyingthe axelweightisinsignificantifthevehicleis iswhatwehopetocorrectwhenour
Governmenttotakeenergypricesinto shorterthanthebridge.Atthispointitis researchiscomplete…Itwouldtakea
accountaswellastheenvironmentaland thecombinedweightofthewholevehicle greatdealofpersuasionformetoallow
safetycaseforrailfreightinitsforthcoming andthebridgethatcancauselongterm suchvehiclesintheUK.”
TransportStrategy. damage.Germanroadsareinfactmore Itwasnotuntil3rdJunethatthe
(cid:1)PhilippaEdmundsCampaigner 020 suitedtoLHVsduetothefactthat5per ministerfinallyannouncedwhattrain
82419982email centoftheirroadsaremotorwayin drivers,environmentalistsandmotorists
[email protected]: comparisontoBritain’s1percent.LHV hadbeenlongingtohear;“Thisstudy
www.freightonrail.org.uk wouldhavebeenconfinedtoour showsthatsuper-lorriesarenot
(cid:1)MembersareDirectRailServices,EWS, motorwaysandthiswouldhavemadethe compatiblewithBritishroads.Notonlyare
Freightliner,ASLEF,RMT,TSSA,Unite- constructionofhugeaccesscentresa thereclearenvironmentaldrawbacks,but
AmicusSection,RailFreightGroupand necessity. suchvehicleswouldbeunsuitablefor
CampaignforBetterTransport ASLEF’sprogressiveargumentsforrail manyroadsandjunctions,whileproviding
(cid:1)ANOPpollinAugust2007foundthat freightprovedtheobviouswaytodevelop theinfrastructuretoaccommodatethem
75%ofpeopleopposedLHVsand80% freighttransport.Theaveragefreighttrain wouldrequiresubstantialinvestment.”
wantedmorerailfreightinstead.
5
ASLEF JOURNAL
FREIGHTLINER INTERMODAL REPORT
Company Council Rep Steve intodisputewithASLEF. company,3itoanother,Arcapita.
TheIntermodalBusinessCouncilwas Employeeshavebeeninformedthatno
Wilson updates us on the
informedatameetingheldonJuly25that changeswillresultfromthesale.
situation at Freightliner sideblindswerenowbeingfittedacross ThereareanumberofnewGraduate
thefleet.Inadditionlocomotiveshadnew Driversbeingtrainedatthepresenttime,
Intermodal…
seatsinstalled,butthedesignwillhaveto thisisthethirdyearofFreightlinersin-
bemodifiedasafaultledtoadriverbeing housedrivertrainingschemeandhas
ONCEagainsummerishereandonce injured. beenverysuccessfulsofar.
againFreightliner’sdrivershavetoendure Twolocomotiveshavebeeninstalled Wecanexpecttheretobesome
thehightemperaturesanduncomfortable withdifferenttypesofcoolingsystems extensivealterationstothetrainplanas
cabconditionsontheirclass66 oneofwhichwillbechosenonce weenter2009becauseofNetworkRail
locomotivefleet.Therehasbeenminimal comparativetrialshavebeencompleted. alterationstotheEastLondonareaaround
progressintheagreedcabmodifications TheGenesisprojectisproceedingas Stratfordandconnectingroutesto
neededtoimprovetheclass66cab plannedwiththefirstofthenew facilitaterailwayimprovementsforthe
environment. locomotivesscheduledtoenterservicein 2012Olympics.Thecompanyiswaiting
FreightlinersBusinessCouncil’slead thesecondhalfof2009.Thestaff-side onTransportforLondonforthe
officer,DistrictOrganiserAndyMorrison memberswhohavebeeninvolvedinthe informationneededtoproducethenew
reportedonthelackofprogressonthe projectfromthestarthaveagainvisited trainplanbutdoesnotexpectthiswillbe
class66locomotivestotheECwhichin theGEfactoryintheUnitedStatesto finaliseduntiltheendof2008.
turnledASLEFtoadviseFreightliners observetheprogressbeingmadeand Wecanonlyhopetheeconomic
Managementthattheywerenotsatisfied reportenthusiasticallyontheworkthey downturnprovestobetemporary,asa
withprogressoncabimprovementsand havewitnessedsofar. longerperiodofrecessioncould
thatthefailuretoresolvethesemattersto TheownershipoftheFreightlinerGroup eventuallyimpactontherailfreight
thesatisfactionoftheECwillbringthem hasbeensoldfromoneinvestment business.
DRS REPORT
Tam McKendrick, Company Council Secretary for DRS reports on Atpresentthetownstrugglestocopewith
traffictryingtoreachthemainindustries.
a busy few months for the company and its drivers…
FromtherailwayperspectiveaVictorian
infrastructureisstrugglingtomeetthe
demandsof twenty-firstcenturysociety.
THEpastfewmonthshavebeenverybusy whichisourmainScottishbase.Hugh Asstatedabovewehaveevery
forusinDRS,themainissuesbeingthe BradleyandIattendedonbehalfofASLEF sympathyfortheroadhaulagelobby.It
continuationoftrainingforourtrainee andDRSandfoundtheforumtobevery canseethefinancialbenefitsof
driversandfurtherrecruitmentoftrain informative.Itwasalsointerestingtonote transportinggoodsbyraildueto
crew.Ontopofthiswastherecruitmentof thatasrailwaypeoplewehadquitealotin governmentgrantsandthehighcostof
someEWSdriverswhowereunderthreat commonwiththeroadhaulagepeople fuel.ASLEF’sviewisthatthemainfreight
ofredundancy.Thatwewereabletofind whoattended. journeyshouldbeviarailbeforegoodsare
fellowdriversnewjobsdemonstratesthe Grangemouthisahugelyimportant transportedtotheirfinaldestinationby
benefitsofASLEFmembership.Tobeina industrialareainScotland;someofthe road.Thiscanonlyberealisedifthe
positiontohelpafellowdrivergain mainemployersinthetownsupply intermodalinfrastructureisinplace.
employmentwhileunderthethreatof ScotlandandthenorthofEngland, ThelocalMSPisverysympathetictothe
redundancyfaroutweighsanyotherso- includedintheseemployersareINEOS argumentforrailandhasnowbeen
calledburningissues.Thisletseveryone whowererecentlyinthenewswiththe introducedtotherailfreightgroup,also
knowwithinourunionandoutsidethatwe pensionsdisputewithourcolleaguesin freightonrailarebeingupdatedon
areunifiedandwelookafterthemembers’ unite;alsoforthportswhooperateoneof developments.Hopefully,bylobbyingthe
maininterestwhichistoremaingainfully thebusiestdocksinBritain. Scottishgovernmentwecanachieveour
employed. Themainreasontheforumwassetup aimstodramaticallyimprovethetransport
Asidefromthiswewereinvitedtoattend wastotrytoimprovetheinfrastructureof infrastructureandatthesametimebring
thelocaltransportforuminGrangemouth thetowntocopewithindustrialexpansion. morefreightontorail.
6
ASLEF JOURNAL
Levelling the playing field,
publishedareportintothe“before”
predictionsofNATAandtheactual“after”
statisticsofanumberofroadbuilding
a real new approach?
projects,notablytheA34Newbury
bypass,A27PolegatebypassandM65
Blackburnbypass.Itwillcomeasno
EC member for District 1 Simon Weller explains why surprisethepreliminaryNATA
assessmentsunderestimatedtraffic
the true cost of road and the long-term benefits of rail
growth,congestionandenvironmental
must be recognised in transport planning. impact.
TheGovernmenthascometorealise
thatNATAisanunsustainableposition
INANarticlelastyear,JonathonLeakeof arbitraryvalueandthisisshownagainst andrecentlysoughtto“refreshNATA”.We
theSundayTimeshighlightedthe thecostoftheschememakingitcheaper awaittheresultsoftheconsultationwith
ridiculousplanningandappraisalrules -asrailhasnofatalities(relativetoroad), interest.However,willitbeamissed
appliedtoroadbuildingapplications;rules thesesavingscannotbeappliedtoarail opportunity?
thatyouwouldexpecttobemoreathome scheme.Although,itisobviousthe Theneedtooverhaulourtransport
inapiecefromEdwardLearthana removalofHGVsfrombusyroadscan policiesandapproachtooiluseplaces
Governmentpolicydocument. onlymakethemsaferandthosesavings rail,bothfreightandpassenger,inavery
The1998NewApproachtoAppraisal shouldbeappliedtorail. strongeconomic,politicalandenviron-
(NATA)requiresroadplannerstoshowthe Thesemadhouseeconomicsaside,the mentalposition.
effectoftheirproposalsonthe furtherfailingofNATAisitdoesnotfully Efficiencyofbulktransportation,further
environmentandeconomy.Sofar,so calculatethecarboncosts.Thepolicy electrificationcoupledwithregulated
sensible,buttherulestwistanddistortany datesfromtenyearsago,beforethe renewablegenerationfreeingusfrom
costbenefitanalysisinfavouroftheroad mainstreamrealisationthattoslowclimate ever-increasingoilpricesand
solutionratherthananygreenalternative. changewemustchangethewaywe unpredictablesupplycoupledwitha
WhytheTorieswouldmisssuchaneasy operate.Although,twoyearsagothe reductioninthenationalcarbonfootprint
targettobolstertheirnewfoundgreen Governmentintroducedanunrepresen- isacompellingargument.
credentialsisamystery,exceptitwould tative£70pertonneofcarbonproduced Unfortunately,thecurrentstructureand
meanupsettingtheirroadlobbyfriends. forroadcosting.Arguably,therealfigure financingoftherailwaydoesnotsupport
TheinconsistenciestheNATArules isnearer£1000pertonne. longtermplanningandinvestment;
encouragewouldbefunnyiftheydidnot AnothereffectoftheNATArulesisthey compoundedbytheunfairandskewed
havesuchadetrimentalimpactonour undermineanyeconomiccaseforpublic planningappraisalsthatdonotfactorthe
industryandenvironment. transport.AccordingtoNATA,thelightrail truecostofroadorthelong-termbenefits
Forexample,rule3.5.1ofNATAawards schemesproposedforLiverpool, ofrail.
additionalpointstoroadschemesthat Sheffield,Leeds,Portsmouthaswellas ASLEFwillcontinuetoargueandlobby
actuallygenerateextratrafficbecause othercitiesdidnotgive“valueformoney” inWestminsterandamongstanygroup
extratrafficmeansgreaterfuelsalesand andabusalternativerecommended.A thathasinfluenceonthedecisionmakers
increasedtaxrevenue.‘Thisisnotthe furtherbiasinthesystemislightrailmust foralevelplayingfieldtodefendour
mouthbreathingindignationofTheDaily funditselftothetuneof25%yetroadonly industry,bothpassengerandfreight,
Mailit’stherulesbywhichroadschemes needstocontribute10%. againstshorttermistpoliciesand
arejudged.Publictransportschemes TheCountrysideAgencyandCampaign destructiveprofitmotives.
scoreinpreciselytheoppositemanneras fortheprotectionofRuralEngland
theyreduceroadtraffic.Thesameapplies
torailbornefreight.
Thereareotherwaysoftippingthe
balanceinfavouroftheroadsolution,
typicallybymassagingaccidentfigures.If
aroadschemecanbeshowntoreduce
fatalitiesandeachfatalityisgivenan
7
RAIL FREIGHT IMPROVES
THE QUALITY OF LIFE
Jim Dobbin MP for Heywood and Middleton is a passionate supporter of Rail Freight and
has tabled EDMs to support the building of improved rail infrastructure. We asked him to
explain to us why he believed that getting freight off of the roads and on to trains is so
important to the whole of the country.
THEUKeconomydependsonefficient,fast,directfreight ParkRailFreightInterchangewhichisasfollows.
transportsystems.Myinterestinfreighttransportstemsfrom ThatthisHouseapplaudstherecentannouncementbythe
thegeographyandnatureofmyconstituency,Heywoodand SecretaryofStateforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment
Middleton.TheM62goesstraightthroughthemiddleofit,with grantingpermissionforanewstrategicRailFreightInterchange
HeywoodononesideandMiddletonontheother.M62Junction atHowburyParkandherconclusionthatthebenefitsofthe
19givesaccesstobothtownsandaccesstoanumberofdistri- scheme,primarilyrelatedtomeetingLondon’sneedforSRFI’s
butionparks.SituatedmidwaybetweenthePortsofLiverpool werewelljustified;furthercallsonhertoensurethatadditional
andHullandmidwaybetweentheM6andM1motorways,the sitessimilarlyrequirehersupportinordertocreateanetwork
HGVdensityisextremelyhigh. ofinternationalrailfreightfacilitiesthatlinkintomajorfreight
IfthislargenumberofHGVjourneysisallowedtotravelfreely routes,seaportsandotherrail-servedlogisticsparks
throughmylocalcommunitiesthenitmeansnosetotailtraffic throughoutthecountry,aswellastheEuropeannetworkof
every2minutes24hoursaday.Localcommunitiesshouldnot similarfacilitiesviathechanneltunnel;acknowledgesthatsites
havetosufferthiscontinuousnoise,pollutionanddisruption. suchastheKentInternationalGatewayareessentialtobuildon
WeofcoursedirecttheHGVmovementsawayfromlocal thedecisionmadeatHowburyParkinordertoalleviatethe
communities.Wehaveweightrestrictionsandchicaneson growingpressureontheM20,theM25andLondon’smain
certainroutestoforceheavytraffictouseotherroutestoreach arterialroadsinadditiontotheachievementofthe
theirdestinations. Government’sowntargetstoshiftmorefreightfromroadonto
ItisforthesereasonsthatIsupportthecreationofanetwork rail.
ofrailfreightacrossthecountrytoenablemuchgreateraccess Iamawarethatlocalpeoplemaynotbeinsupportofsuch
fromroadtorailfreight.Thereneedstobemuchgreaterfocus interchanges.Howeverthegovernmentneedstobemore
onrailfreight.ItwasforthesereasonsthatIagreedtoleada strategicinitsplanningthefutureofthecountry’sfreight
HouseofCommonsEarlyDayMotioninsupportoftheHowbury transport.Londoninparticularmustbefreeofheavytrafficas
musttheothercityregionsoftheUK.Therewouldbeconsid-
erablebenefitsfromabetterplannedfreighttransportsystem.
Noisepollution,environmentalpollution,trafficpollutionall
createhealthhazardsforlocalcommunities.Apolicytocreate
increasedrailfreightfacilitieswouldcertainlyimprovethe
qualityoflifeforthepeopleofthiscountryandwouldhavemy
solidsupport.Anetworkofinterchangeslinkingtheentire
countrythroughtheChannelTunneltoEuropemustbe
thewayahead.
JIMDOBBINMP
MemberoftheHoCRailFreightGroup