Comments on: Freight http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/02/26/freight/ Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Wokingham Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:14:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: billy http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/02/26/freight/#comment-848 billy Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:12:06 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=124#comment-848 It is pleasing that the FTA (oldRHA?) does not have a massive input into policy. Much changes as the years roll by. James Strachan is quite right about single wagon costs and time. The evidence comes from BR days, but much American freight is of the type that John suggests: moving goods into industrial parks on the edges of towns for local lorry and van delivery, I believe. Perhaps a carrot and stick approach to major road hauliers would help? You must use rail and in exchange you get peace of mind over your responsible attitudes to public and safety, or a tax break maybe? It is pleasing that the FTA (oldRHA?) does not have a massive input into policy. Much changes as the years roll by.
James Strachan is quite right about single wagon costs and time. The evidence comes from BR days, but much American freight is of the type that John suggests: moving goods into industrial parks on the edges of towns for local lorry and van delivery, I believe. Perhaps a carrot and stick approach to major road hauliers would help? You must use rail and in exchange you get peace of mind over your responsible attitudes to public and safety, or a tax break maybe?

]]> By: James Strachan http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/2007/02/26/freight/#comment-843 James Strachan Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:35:14 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=124#comment-843 Freight traffic on the railways has gone up by 60% in the last 10 years. There are four privatised railway companies specialising in freight that are all aggresively looking for more business. There are some signs that the supermarket chains and the large parcel distribution chains are interested in putting long haul (in the UK, 200 miles plus) onto the railways. Single wagon marshalling is not viable because of the labour costs and time involved in assembling and disassembling the trains. But there is scope for combined marshalling yards and warehousing areas as at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal. Freight traffic on the railways has gone up by 60% in the last 10 years. There are four privatised railway companies specialising in freight that are all aggresively looking for more business.

There are some signs that the supermarket chains and the large parcel distribution chains are interested in putting long haul (in the UK, 200 miles plus) onto the railways.

Single wagon marshalling is not viable because of the labour costs and time involved in assembling and disassembling the trains. But there is scope for combined marshalling yards and warehousing areas as at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.

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