The Lyons Inquiry Local Government

December 9th 2005

1. Freight on Rail thanks the committee for the opportunity to comment on activities of local government, which have a crucial role to play in setting the framework for rail freight through the land use planning system. Freight on Rail was set up expressly to work with local and regional authorities to facilitate this process with the objective of promoting the shift to rail freight and integrating land use planning and transport.

Definition of Freight on Rail

Freight on Rail, a partnership between transport trades unions, freight operating companies, Network Rail, the Rail Freight Group and Transport 2000 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.

2. Why we need local government to set the framework for rail freight

The nation needs the right land use planning framework to cater for the demand for rail freight. The regional and local planning systems are vital instruments for achieving the modal shift to rail. They not only provide an enabling, supportive context in which rail freight can develop but ensure that new terminals are located in the right place for the right people. Without the appropriate national, regional and local planning framework the rail freight industry can neither obtain planning permission to develop new rail freight interchanges, nor protect potential rail lands, nor justify long-term investment to increase freight carried by rail.

Government has four key roles to allow the shift to rail freight to be realised:

Planning for rail freight through national, regional and local strategies. Strategies include Regional Spatial Strategies, Regional Transport Strategies and Freight Strategies. Commenting on Regional Planning Assessments written by the Department of Transport. Working with Network Rail to influence Route Utilisation Strategies, (RUSs).
Protecting rail lands and interests such as track beds and sidings through local plans. Identify and protect sites, lines and siding with existing or possible future rail potential , taking into account the latest PPG13, (once sites are gone, they are gone for ever). See precedent set by Mansard Homes v Surrey Heath at www.freightonrail.org.uk which shows councils countrywide that they can protect disused railway land for future potential railway use, even where there is no immediate evidence of future possible use as long as the land is safeguarded in the local development framework. This includes Local Development Frameworks, (LDFs), Unitary Development Plans (UDPs) and Local Transport Plans (LTPs).
Promoting rail freight through facilitation and grants. Bringing different parties together, such as working on Freight Quality Partnerships (FQPs). Dissemination of information and best practice. Working with central government and other authorities at local and regional levels. For example in Teesside the Teesside joint Strategy unit represents several authorities on transport issues.
Participating in partnerships such as community railway schemes with ACORP. Partnerships such as the North East Scotland rail freight partnership run by the local authorities and supported by the Scottish Executive. Responding to central government policies consultations.

3. Granting planning permission for rail freight interchanges

The policy of subsidiarty means that local authorities which are responsible for granting planning permission for interchanges, also are faced with balancing the local disbenefits such as increased local lorry movements, of such a development against the wider regional and national benefits.

Consequently it is crucial that there are national and regional policies supporting the shift to rail freight so that local authorities can give permission for applications and promote the wider environmental and economic benefits and mitigate against local opposition by appropriate design. Planners need to be conversant with the issues around local losers versus wider national benefits and handle projects sensitively. In particular, authorities need to:-

Understand local factors

Do not underestimate the importance of this element, which, if wrongly handled, can kill a project
Consult, & understand local opposition and promote the wider environmental benefits
Choose the right location and size; use green vehicles, sustainable building design and landscaping which can mitigate against local opposition.
Take advantage of the industry expertise of Freight on Rail members

4. Existing Local Government Structures
Rail freight needs to be evaluated at national and regional levels

Freight on Rail believes that the existing regional structures in England with regional assemblies producing Regional Spatial Strategies enables authorities to plan for rail freight at regional levels while taking into consideration cross regional and national freight flows. These statutory documents inform members and officers at local levels in both protecting rail sites and track beds and granting planning permission for interchanges.

Most rail freight flows cross at least one regional boundary and in many cases several regions so authorities need to work together to evaluate the best means of transporting freight around the country.

5. Why we need rail freight?

5.1 To protect the environment

Rail freight makes a vital contribution to protecting the environment and helping the Government to meet its commitments to improving air quality and tackling climate change. Overall rail produces less than one per cent of the total U.K. emissions of carbon dioxide, the principle green house gas, compared with 21 per cent from road transport.i

Tonne for tonne rail freight produces 90 per cent less carbon dioxide than road transportii

“The move from road to rail means greater speed and flexibility for our customers as well as less air pollution, which is great news for the environment.”- Dave Ansell DHL

5.2 To relieve road congestion

Rail freight, acting as a freight by-pass, can reduce road congestion which according to the Government is set to grow by up to 37 per cent by 2010.

“Rail will have to play a significant future role in moving cargo out of the British ports. … As an industry we need all the rail freight we can get.” Jens Holger Niesen MD Maersk Sealand 2004

An aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs from our roadsiii

5.3 Roads are expensive to maintain

Lorries cause significant damage to the roads which has to be paid for by taxpayers. Transferring freight to the railways reduces this cost. The damage done by heavy vehicles increases with approximately the fourth power of the axle load. Using the fourth power law, one axle of 10 tonnes (HGV scale) is 160,000 times more damaging to a road surface than an axle of 0.5 tonnes (car scale). This is why road surface maintenance is generally taken to be almost exclusively attributable to the heaviest vehicles.

Sending goods by rail can lower road maintenance costs for authorities.

5.4 To help transport safety

Rail is a safer way for society to distribute freight than by road. In 2004, five passengers were killed on the railwaysiv, 3,221 people were killed on the roadsv.

i. The Railway Forum 2005
ii. AEA Technology for Strategic Rail Authority, October 2004
iii.Network Rail 2005
iv.Health and Safety Executive (rail figures exclude trespassers and suicides) 2004
v.Transport Statistics GB 2004, issued 2005

Philippa Edmunds Freight on Rail December 2005
Freight on Rail Campaigner
020 8241 9982; www.freightonrail.org.uk
Members are - EWS, Freightliner, Rail Freight Group, RMT, TSSA, ASLEF, Network Rail and Transport 2000