Welsh rail freight enhancements list - June 2007

Supporting the Welsh list drawn up by the Rail Freight Operators Association Freight on Rail said "That the fast route to reducing transport's carbon footprint is to increase rail freight which also acts as a freight by-pass and helps reduce road congestion. Recent research has shown that a tonne of freight moved by rail creates five times less Carbon Dioxide than the same tonne being moved on the roads. Rail freight is also up to fifteen times better than road in terms of other noxious emissions. Remember we only have a five to fifteen year window in which to take action to avert catastrophic climate change. As Stern said, "The scientific evidence is overwhelming. Climate change presents serious global risks and it demands an urgent global response".

The Eddington and Stern reports, published towards the end of 2006, reinforced the importance of rail freight. Eddington identified the importance of “international gateways”, such as ports, to the UK economy. Rail freight is the most efficient way of moving goods and materials from ports, from deep sea / short sea containers to coal and steel. These five rail freight enhancements for Wales would contribute to Eddington’s findings.

The Stern report focused on reducing the carbon footprint of the UK, a point reinforced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Rail freight has strong sustainable and environmental credentials. The emissions and carbon dioxide produced by rail freight is ten times lower than produced by road. At a time of considerable concern about Climate Change rail freight is the transport mode of the future.

Graham Smith, EWS Planning Director and Chairman of the Rail Freight Operators Association, said: “The rail freight operators have devised a series of schemes that would benefit from inclusion in the Department for Transport’s announcements this summer in respect to rail freight in Wales. The key enhancements we are proposing will increase the capacity and capability of the rail network, allowing an increase in freight services and help productivity. In addition they will help the environment by allowing more freight to be captured by rail and provide better connections to the UK’s international gateways, whilst reducing the size of transport’s carbon footprint in Wales.”

The importance of the five core rail freight enhancements for Wales has been outlined to Transport Wales and will be outlined to the new Welsh Assembly Government when it is formed. Similar lists of rail freight enhancements have also been produced for Scotland and England.

The five key rail freight enhancements and the benefits of each are detailed below:

BLAENAU FFESTINIOG – ENHANCE ROUTE CAPABILITY TO ALLOW SLATE WASTE TRAIN OPERATION

The Blaenau Ffestiniog line has long been identified as a route for slate waste train operation. The line is currently only capable of supporting a sprinter style operation of passenger trains. If the infrastructure was enhanced to permit heavier trains to operate, then freight could take the opportunity to convey slate waste by rail. Effective operation of freight and passenger trains may require some additional capacity to be created.
NEWPORT TO SHREWSBURY – ADDITIONAL CAPACITY AND ENHANCED LOOP LENGTH AND CAPABILITY

This is an important through route between South Wales, England and North Wales. The passenger service has expanded in frequency with the implementation by Arriva Trains Wales of the Standard Pattern Timetable. This has placed pressure on the route to accommodate freight services. The route has long signalling sections which limit the capacity of the route. Modern signalling or additional intermediate signals would enhance the capacity. The loops along the route are generally short in nature. In addition they have slow speeds for entry and exit. These should be enhanced with a 40 mph entry and exit speeds and extended to 775 metres, the standard length for freight loops.
CARDIFF TO BRISTOL – ENHANCE SEVERN TUNNEL CAPACITY AND INCREASE RELIEF LINE SPEEDS

This is another key route between Wales and England. The Relief lines currently have a line speed of between 40mph and 60 mph. Raising this speed to 60 mph throughout for bulk freight and 75mph for container trains would add capacity to the route and reduce journey times.

The Severn Tunnel is over 4 miles long. There are currently no intermediate signals in the tunnel. The practise of installing signals in tunnels has been established on other parts of the network. Instillation of additional signals on this route would add significant capacity and flexibility to the network.
CWMBARGOED BRANCH LINE – IMPROVE OPERATION BY ENHANCING LINE SPEEDS AND THE CREATION OF NEW LOOPS

This branch line is being reactivated to support the regeneration of a former coal site to industrial use, to create employment and provide housing. The current line speed on the branch line to Cwmbargoed is 15mph for the first 2.5 miles and 20mph for the remaining 7 miles, which is a very low overall line speed. An increase to 30mph would significantly reduce the journey time. In addition a loop located intermediately on the single track branch line or at Ystrad Mynach in the northbound direction would allow freight to be operated with minimum impact on the regular passenger services.
CARDIFF CENTRAL TO CARDIFF QUEEN STREET – ADDITIONAL SIGNALLING CAPACITY

The current 3 minute signalling headway restricts capacity for freight between these points. The passenger trains are spaced evenly every 5 minutes between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations in both directions. All passenger trains call at Cardiff Queen Street station for 2 minutes. This arrangement consumes all the capacity between the two main Cardiff stations. This prevents the operation of freight during the day without the removal of a passenger services. Reducing the signalling headways and minor adjustments to the passenger service would create a regular freight opportunity. This would allow for freight growth and support economic regeneration in the Cardiff Valleys area.