Consultation on Local Transport Plan Guidance - July 2004Freight
on Rail welcomes the opportunity to comment on Local Transport
Plan guidance. The format of our response is a short introduction with a definition of Freight on Rail , its members, and then responses to specific sections. Definition of Freight on RailFreight on Rail is a campaign working to get goods off roads and
onto rail as an important step in developing a more sustainable
distribution system. Freight on Rail is a partnership between transport trades unions, freight operating companies, the Rail Freight Group and Transport 2000. It works to promote the economic, social and environmental benefits of rail freight both nationally and locally. It advocates policy changes that support the shift to rail and provides information and help on freight related issues. In particular, it aims to help local authorities through all stages of the process such as planning a rail-freight strategy, accessing grants and dealing with technical matters. GeneralFreight on Rail welcomes many aspects of the guidance but is disappointed by the absence of guidance on freight transport. We would like to emphasise the importance of consulting the rail freight industry, operators, the Rail Freight Group, Freight on Rail and users in preparing plans. The Freight Transport Association alone cannot represent rail freight interests. However, we believe that the guidance underplays the potential role of the railways. This is also true of the White Paper, ‘The Future of Transport’. Rail services can provide a frequent and high capacity alternative to car journeys and promote economic regeneration. Rail, both passenger and freight provides a serious alternative to combat road congestion which is crucial for the economy as well as for society and the environment. An average freight train can remove 50 HGVs from our roads. Two port examples of the importance of rail freight’s role in alleviating road congestion are Southampton and Felixstowe. Both the A14 and the A34 are key artery routes which are very congested. Currently rail freight services remove over a thousand lorries a day from both local and trunk routes from these ports. More freight could be transferred to rail with Government support for infrastructure enhancements. Both regions are experiencing economic growth which requires sustainable transport infrastructure development. We do not believe that the guidance recognises rail’s role in providing sustainable transport solutions. The following statistics highlight the benefits of rail freight. “Rail
has a crucial role to play in the climate change debate; per tonne
carried rail produces less than one fifth of the CO2 emissions
of road transport . Office of National Statistics figures released
27th May 2004 showed that emissions from road freight transport
increased by 59 per cent between 1990 and 2002.” Freight TransportGiven the scale and importance of freight transport it is regrettable that these is so little guidance to local authorities on what they can do to promote sustainable transport, in particular help facilitate modal shift and to limit the impacts on the community of freight transport . We believe that local authorities have a crucial role in shifting freight onto the railways as local and regional authorities set the framework upon which rail freight operates through the planning system via Regional Planning Guidance and Local Development Frameworks. So it is vital that regional and local spatial planning makes adequate provision for rail freight. It needs to identify and protect existing and disused sites, lines and sidings and suitable interchange locations. In particular, planning permission for rail interchanges, without which rail freight cannot increase, will not be secured unless the right policies are enshrined in the spatial planning framework. The recent case of Mansard County Homes v Surrey Heath 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. In addition to meeting some of the shared priorities (road congestion reduction, improving road safety and air quality) modal shift can generate savings in road maintenance costs and this should be reflected in the asset management section of the guidance.
2/21 Strategies for sea ports should specifically include development of rail freight and not just of ‘freight vehicles’ which implies only road transport. Rail freight has considerable economic, environmental and social benefits as mentioned in our introduction which are important in the development of infrastructure at ports with high volumes and distances involved. 4/42 – 44 We do not understand why this section does not mention freight. Rail freight can be important in contributing to meeting the shared priorities. Freight on Rail works with local and regional authorities and the industry to promote rail freight. This guidance should also encourage authorities to identify flows and developments where rail might be feasible. This can feed into Transport Asset Management Plans where rail can remove large freight flows and thus remove road maintenance costs. A good example of this being traffic around quarries. Annex
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Philippa Edmunds on 020 8241 9982 Go to www.freightonrail.org.uk for press releases, case studies and links to members sites, key rail organisations and literature listed below:
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