Lobby your Prospective Parliamentary Candidates during the Pre Election period
This period provides a great opportunity to issue all your parliamentary candidates with a questionnaire on key rail freight issues with the aim of getting them to commit to key policies which protect and promote rail freight.
Why?
Because rail freight is the low carbon energy efficient safer alternative to road which relieves road congestion and helps build the low carbon economy and green jobs. Government is legally committed to challenging carbon dioxide emissions reductions which rail freight can help to achieve.
Rail produces 70% less CO2 emissions than the equivalent road journey
Source - DfT Logistics Perspective December 2008
Rail freight is safer than long-distance road freight using motorway and A roads, as HGVs are over 3 times more likely to be involved in fatal accidents than cars due to a combination of size, lack of proper enforcement of drivers hours, vehicle overloading and differing foreign operating standards.
Source -Road Statistics 2008, Tables 3.2 and 3.6, Road Freight Statistics 2008 Section 5, Department for Transport
An average freight train can remove 50 long distance HGVs from our roads with the largest freight trains each now removing up to 160 long distance HGVs – Source RFOA September 2009
1. Grants
Revenue Grants – Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS)
Without these grants trainloads of rail freight will be forced back onto our congested roads.Currently the budgets are only confirmed until April 2011 which is putting rail flows in jeopardy as contracts can only be awarded for 1 year only, previously they have been awarded for 3 years.
Remember these grants are awarded for actual lorry miles taken off the roads and the resulting reduction in congestion, pollutions and exposure to accidents and compensate rail and water for the lack of a level playing field with road and air freight.
Retention of Capital grants - Freight Facilities Grant (FFGs)
Capital grants remain important in offsetting the initial start up costs of the transfer to rail. Changing restrictions which currently exclude mobile equipment in England and Wales would help the take-up of grants.
2. Ongoing prioritisation of rail freight schemes from 2014 onwards
Continued investment would see the realisation of the full benefits of the Strategic Rail Freight Network to the economy, the environment and society.
Suggested questions
Do you support the retention of rail freight revenue and capital grants at current budget levels?
YES NO
Do you support the ongoing prioritisation of rail freight funding from 2014 onwards for the Strategic Rail Freight Network to reduce freight’s carbon emissions?
YES NO
