Consultation on the future of freight in Hampshire

Freight on Rail is pleased to comment on the Hampshire and the Transport for South Hampshire Draft Freight Strategy together in this response.

Given the economic and environmental imperative to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from freight transport we believe that both strategies should make increasing the shift to sustainable modes, such as rail, a higher priority in the aims and objectives section 1.3 for the following reasons.

The scale of the carbon emissions problem facing the Government

Transport is responsible for 28% of carbon dioxide emissions in UK1
HGV traffic has grown by 20% since 1990 with a the 14% rise in CO2 emissions2
HGVs are responsible for 20% of carbon dioxide emissions from all domestic transport

An aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs from our roads3

Overall Emissions Challenge
The challenge to the Government is large: under the EU climate and energy package, CO2 emissions in the “non-traded sector” in the UK (mainly transport and domestic heating) will need to be 16% below current levels by 2020.

Therefore rail freight can offer a carbon dioxide reduction solution to Government and can act as a freight by-pass

Tonne for tonne moved, rail produces between three to five times less carbon dioxide4 than road freight (depending on cargo).

Rail freight can help ameliorate road congestion which, the FTA estimates, costs the economy £17bn per annum. Remember an average freight train can remove 50 HGVS from our roads and an aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs from our roads”

Freight on Rail strongly supports the view that more funding is needed for rail freight infrastructure so that rail can play its part in reducing road congestion and carbon emissions while transporting freight in a safe mode.

Safety record of rail and road
In 2007 there were 2946 road deaths and only 1 rail passenger death.
Iain Knight of the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) stated in Commercial Motor magazine of 17th July 2008 that when trucks are in a smash they do serious damage. HGVs in the UK account for only 6% of all vehicle-km driven but are involved in 17% of road accidents where there are fatalities.

3.2 Accommodating rail freight growth

There is suppressed demand for rail freight because of shortfalls in rail network

If the rail network were enhanced significant amounts of freight could be transferred to rail. New RFG/FTA demand forecasts show a 30% increase in tonne km from 2006 to 2015 and more than doubling by 2030. However the growth in intermodal traffic is forecast to be very much higher; more than doubling by 2015 and a fivefold increase by 2030.
  
Rail freight customers in the deep sea container market, not only endorse existing rail freight services but want to use more rail freight services as shown in these industry quotes

As an industry we need all the rail freight we can get                 
MD Maersk Sealand

“Having a rail alternative is more economic, cuts delivery times and is more reliable”-  Arthur Koutstall ECS European containers

Value of freight to economy is often underestimated
As figures below indicate.

• How valuable are logistics jobs?

Dispatch clerks, warehouse pickers           £300 pw
HGV/truck operatives                             £350 pw
Supervisory                                          £400 pw
Call centre operators                              £278 pw
Main logistics positions needs skills including IT
Source Midlands Logistics Study MDS Transmodal Regeneris 2005

The Strategic Rail Freight Network
The DfT July 2007 White Paper ‘Delivering a sustainable railway’ proposed the development of a Strategic Freight Network in England and Wales and allocated £200m towards its development in the Network Rail control period up to 2014.

The Strategic Freight Network shows that Government is committed to rail freight and this allows regional and local policy to reflect this support so that local authorities can protect sites and rail alignment in their LDFs.

Freight on Rail warmly welcomes the SMART project which will ensure that the primary route gauge upgrades from Southampton to the West Midlands via Basingstoke are being implemented which will mean that rail’s market share can increase again. Rail’s market share out of Southampton continues to fall and has already dropped from 35% in 2002 to 29% now because of the lack of gauge clearance, something that the SMART project will reverse.

Priority Rail freight schemes

a) Southampton to Worting junction via Laverstock gauge clearance and capacity increase Laverstock to Worting which would provide a much needed alternative gauged cleared diversionary route for containers and provide additional capacity for the route from Southampton to the West Midlands

b) Southampton – Didcot via Melksham gauge clearance which provides diversionary route between Southampton and Didcot

c) The need for a passing a loop at Basingstoke which provides an additional regulating opportunity. 

d) Southampton to West Midlands capacity upgrade Leamington to Coventry which improves access to WCML

e) Gauge clearance SWML Basingstoke to Action Wells Jct via Kew which provides diversionary route for the Southampton to West Midlands flows. 

f) Gauge clearance GWML Reading to Willesden which provides a diversionary route from Southampton to the WCML.
 

Speed of freight trains in relation to passenger services
In response to your comments about freight trains taking up capacity because of their speeds, we would like to make the following points. The typical freight train matches the speed of semi-fast passenger trains and thus takes a similar amount of capacity. Substantial investment in the rail freight industry has let to significant improvements in freight train speeds. Express trains can travel at 110mph eg the mail trains, new coal wagon operate at 75mph.
 

Sustainable distribution and integration of land use planning and transport
The section on P17 called joint working briefly mentions the role of local authorities in safeguarding access and sites for terminals. However, we would like to emphasise the  crucial role local authorities play in setting the right framework for rail freight in LDFs. 

Without the protection of suitable potential sites for rail freight facilities and protection of disused alignments by local authorities in their Local Development Frameworks, it will be difficult to fulfil the policy objective to make freight movements more sustainable. Therefore we believe it is important that the spatial planning element of the strategy should be strengthened in land protection terms, it will help facilitate rail freight. The main reasons for this, protection of

alignments and sites suitable for terminals. Without planning permissions for new terminals/interchanges rail freight volumes cannot be increased.

Regional and local authorities have a duty to ensure that quality of life issues such as protecting the environment and green spaces are central to policy so that future generations do not suffer because of short term aspirations of the existing generations and over concentration on unsustainable short term economic growth.

Research this month by Campaign for Better Transport stated that HGVs are only paying between one to two thirds of the costs they impose on society5.  Research from the European Commission also estimates that HGVs only pay around two thirds of their external costs averaged across EU member states.

We also believe that national Government has a strategic role in protecting key transport corridors for potential new rail routes in the same way that road corridors can be protected by the Highways Agency. We understand that this is being investigated by the DfT in advance of the Rail Strategy as recognition of the role both passenger and freight rail services will have in reducing transport’s carbon emissions.

Currently alignments and sites can be protected by local authorities in their LDFs in line with PPG13. We believe national protection of corridors and sites is needed in addition. We would point out that we fully support PPG13 freight protection policies and believe that any revision must retain these powers. 

We believe that the local Government’s key role in protecting possible suitable sites for interchanges and alignments in LDFs should also be mentioned in this section.

Increasing cost of oil is also making rail more competitive and should therefore be taken into account.  Increases in road haulage costs versus rail which is around 3-5 times less energy efficient than road. Research estimates that rail freight could increase by 25% if rail network upgraded to cope under circumstances where oil hits $175 a barrel See MDS Transmodel presentation for RFG conference June 08 titled the Impact of oil prices on rail freight

Local authorities will need to safeguard suitable potential sites for interchanges in LDFs and can do this without fear of ligation.
The case of Mansard County Homes v Surrey Heath (2002) shows councils countrywide that, with the strengthening of Planning Policy Guidance PPG13, they can protect disused railway land for future potential railway use, without fear of litigation if this land is identified in local transport plans even where there is no immediate evidence of future possible use.
Unlike passenger services which are specified by the Government, freight has no franchise agreements: this makes PPG13 all the more key to set the parameters for rail freight.

Freight on Rail believes that Hampshire CC should also make provision for rail freight in its Local Transport Plans.
Here are some suggestions

• In rural areas if lines are preserved they may be used by quarries.
• Have dialogue with the Office of Rail Regulation to protect rail paths for rail freight through conurbations.
• Promote waste strategies to use rail as the preferred mode for access to larger landfill, incinerator or recycling centre.
• Allocate funds to improve road access to existing or new rail freight terminals.
• Make provision for road signage for existing and new sites. Proper lorry routing can minimize the impact on areas around interchanges.
• Disseminate information across business promoting rail freight benefits to business.
• Establish FQPs relating to management of all modes freight traffic.
• Promote mineral strategies to use rail as the preferred mode.
• Set targets such as number of lorry journeys saved and growth of rail’s share in local freight market to measure progress.

Freight on Rail asks to be consulted on rail freight issues as it can act as a facilitator and draw upon the expertise of its members.
 

7. Proposed freight action plan
In the light of the need for reducing carbon emissions to be a higher priority see our response in section 1.3, we believe that supporting the implementation of the Strategic Rail Freight network with schemes identified should be a priority in the freight action plan.
D3 makes a general point about working with the rail freight industry which is important but in addition to working with partners to get revenue and capital grants funding for rail freight, Hampshire should recommend that key rail freight projects are listed for inclusion in Regional Funding Allocations for the Network Rail control period 4 up to 2014 and very importantly local authorities should recommend schemes now  to the Government  for the next control period 5 from 2014 onwards.  

Philippa Edmunds 14th October 2008

 

1. When the emissions from refining petrol included
2. Carbon Pathways DfT 2008
3. Network Rail 2008
4. EWS 2007
5. Source Heavy Lorries do they pay for the damage they cause by MTRU and peer reviewed by Institute for Transport Studies Leeds   April 2008