Rail freight saves sample County Council over £750,000 in road repairs

25th March 2006

Research commissioned by Freight on Rail highlights that in counties with significant rail freight potential, the local transport authorities could save serious amounts on road repairs if suitable cargoes were to go by rail.

The research shows that the case study county council, which spends a typical amount on its road maintenance, could be saving as much as £770,700 on road maintenance each year because certain goods in its area go by rail rather than road. The research makes a strong case for local authorities to encourage more freight to go by rail, particularly where they have significant bulk, waste or port traffic in their regions, even without taking into account the significant additional environmental, social and congestion benefits of rail freight. HGVs are up to 160,000 times more damaging to road surfaces than the average car; some of the heaviest road repair costs are therefore almost exclusively attributable to the heaviest vehicles and the research suggests that transfer to rail can reduce these costs.

Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail campaigner said, “This research confirms what our eyes and ears tell us, that lorries cause significant wear and tear to our local roads. This research suggests that certain local authorities, with significant bulk, waste or port traffic for example, should be free to use their road maintenance budget to support rail freight facilities and services. Freight on Rail members will be pleased to advise local authorities on the viability of projects.”

The research carried out by MTRU looked at rail freight flows in a single county and analysed what the use of rail there was. The case study used specific freight flows to identify actual expenditure which would fall on the local highway authority if they transferred to road. It did not include costs met by central government for the trunk road network, and thus focuses on impact on local authority finances.
 

Allocated maintenance expenditure

All figures are per year for 2004/05

HGV: vehicle movements	HGV: Millions of kilometres	Maintenance Savings based on SLM values
268,800	9.922	£770,700

The sample county had a budget in excess of £15mn for 2004/05.
SLM= Sensitive Lorry Miles
Source: commercial data for flows; DfT Sustainable Distribution Fund for SLM rates per mile
Note: SLM includes some capital costs not included in County maintenance
Due to commercial sensitivity only summary figures are given in the report.

 
Please do consult Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail campaigner if you have any queries at Telephone: 020 8241 9982: email:philippa@freightonrail.org.uk: www.freightonrail.org.uk

The detailed report is located here.
 

Notes to editors:

Freight on Rail, a partnership between transport trades unions, ASLEF, RMT and TSSA, the rail freight operators EWS, Freightliner, 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 and regional authorities through all stages of the process such as planning a rail-freight strategy, accessing grants and dealing with technical matters.

MTRU is an independent transport consultancy founded in 1989 Web site: www.mtru.com
 

We need rail freight:-

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.

Tonne for tonne rail freight produces 90 per cent less carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas, than road transport- AEA Technology for SRA October 2004
 

To relieve road congestion

An aggregates train can remove 120 HGVs from our roads – Network Rail 2005
 

To help transport safety

Rail is a safer way for society to distribute freight.
There were 28,864 accidents involving HGVs and LGVs in 2003: 9,958 HGV and LGV drivers and passengers were injured in 2003: 2,474 pedestrians were hit by HGVs and LGVs in 2003: 1,194 HGV and LGV drivers and passengers were killed or seriously injured in 2003 - Transport Statistics Great Britain, 2004 Edition, DfT