Nuneaton rail freight enhancement set to remove 225,000 lorries from roads per annum

12th May 2008

Freight on Rail welcomes Network Rail’s plans to invest more than £40 million in a new freight link in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, a key rail transport corridor from the Haven ports to the Midlands, as part of the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

The new line, which is approximately one mile long, will allow freight to cross from Eastern England via Peterborough and Leicester without disrupting passenger services.

Freight on Rail's campaigner Philippa Edmunds said:

"This upgrade is part of the expansion of the crucial rail freight artery from Felixstowe to the Midlands and beyond. Rail freight has a vital role to play in our economy to alleviate congestion and protect the environment and society. It is estimated that this enhancement at Nuneaton could remove as many as 225,000 lorries a year from roads countrywide, such as the congested A14, where Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) accounted for 18 per cent of the traffic in 20061.

“The fast route to reducing transport’s carbon footprint is to increase rail freight; tonne for tonne carried rail produces between three to five times less carbon dioxide emissions than road transport, dependent on type of cargo.

“Rail is significantly more energy efficient than road, as energy efficiency is directly related to carbon dioxide emissions. Simply visualize that an aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs2 from our roads to understand that rail freight offers a key alternative mode at a time when Britain's roads are increasingly congested, resulting in longer journey times and more unreliable road transportation.”

Notes to Editors:
Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) made up 5.8 of all motor traffic (vehicle kilometres) in 2005 Source TSGB

Freight on Rail members ASLEF, TSSA, RMT, Unite –Amicus section, EWS, Direct Rail Services, Freightliner, the Rail Freight Group and Campaign for Better Transport.

For further information please contact Philippa Edmunds at Freight on Rail on 020 8241 9982 email: philippa@freightonrail.org.uk: web site www.freightonrail.org.uk

1. House of Commons PQ 24th April 2008 Column 2207W
2. Network Rail 2008