Consultation on Freight Route Utilisation Strategy FRUS England and Wales

Freight on Rail, of which Network Rail is a member, welcomes the draft FRUS as an important strategic document for rail freight.  As it is a consultation it considers options rather than drawing final conclusions. However we hope that once feedback has been received from the consultation process that Network Rail will be in a position to recommend that various options are taken forward to fruition.

The comments concentrate on Freight on Rail’s remit of working with regional and local authorities to promote rail freight.

Changes in demand generated by the current focus on reducing CO2 emissions, could be considered as this is likely to generate demand in excess of that forecast.

1. On-going Interface between FRUS and RUSs crucial
   The FRUS aims to ensure that the freight demand forecasts used within each of the geographical route based RUSs are consistent. Freight on Rail believes it is crucial that a mechanism is set up to maintain consistency between the FRUS and RUSs in the longer-term.
    
2. Relationship with Regional Funding allocations
   DfT has announced that there will be a second round of bids in 2008. Therefore it is imperative that NR work with the local authorities and others including FoR members, to make sure that key rail projects are prioritised in the forthcoming RFA bids. FoR is keen to assist NR with this process of informing local and regional authorities of the rail opportunities.
    
3. Liaison with Regional and Local authorities
   NR should liaise with regional and local authorities to make sure that the plans for enhancements within the RUSs are known to the authorities who produce Local Transport Plans. Also enhancements which use additional rail lands should be catered for in Local Development Frameworks and Regional Transport and Spatial Strategies. In particular, Route Enhancement Managers and Freight Route Managers need to communicate with authorities.
    
4. Partnership role of Network Rail    
   NR has an important role to play in brokering partnership between itself, authorities, developers and other public bodies to bring about joint funding for rail improvements. The FRUS also provides third part investors with an indication of enhancements that would be required to meet their aspirations.
    
5. Protection of rail alignments for future possible rail use
   The FRUS should identify where extra lines are likely to be needed and NR should then use this to ask local authorities to safeguard these lines in plans.
   For example Protection of Stourbridge to Litchfield Line, Oxford to Cambridge line and Stratford to Cheltenham line.
    

External Factors

Lorry road user charging is explicitly excluded in Table B2 of the RUS, perhaps because the scheme was deferred during the course of the RUS preparation.  That said, a more recent decision by the Government suggests (Ladyman, Birmingham Post, 24 Oct 06) that general road charging may be in place by 2015, the methods having been tested prior to that in a regional scheme.  Clearly road user charging must be expected nationally, well within the time horizon set out in Section 2.2 of the RUS.  Some consideration might usefully, therefore, be given to the potential impact of general road user charging schemes on rail freight operations.

 
FoR – Freight on Rail

 
Philippa Edmunds email Philippa@freightonrail.org.uk. www.Freightonrail.org.uk
23rd November 2006