RAIL FREIGHT COMES OF AGE AS TESCO AND STOBARTS TAKE THE TRAIN

Major developers welcome new rail service – but warn about UK rail infrastructure capacity

Major developers Burford, Helioslough, ProLogis and Shell have today welcomed the launch of the new Tesco / Stobart rail freight service between the Midlands and Scotland, but have warned that disjointed Government planning policy threatens the growth in more retail rail freight traffic.

Mike Hughes, Chairman of the developer consortium the Railfreight Interchange Investment Group (RIIG), said of today’s launch:

“We welcome Tesco’s arrival into frontline rail freight operations, joining other retailers such as Argos, Asda, Ikea and Marks & Spencer in reducing their dependence on road haulage, achieving not only commercial and operational benefits, but a critical environmental bonus in the process. This new service reflects the considerable investment by the rail freight operators and Network Rail in modernising the industry, as well as the foresight of developers over 10 years ago, in creating the first of a series of new railfreight interchanges such as DIRFT in the Midlands, from where the new Tesco rail service will operate.”

Some 260 lorry journeys a week will be cut from the road network in a joint venture between Eddie Stobart Ltd and Tesco, with the £3.2 million project expected to move non-food products daily from the Midlands to its main Scottish distribution centre in Livingston - saving an estimated 4.5 million road miles and around 6,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Tesco insisted that hauliers bidding to move traffic from its new Midlands distribution centre at DIRFT provided a rail service option to reach Scotland.

But Hughes warned that in order to get more freight onto rail, more interchanges would be needed – and a fast-track, joined-up planning system to help deliver them:

“The development community has been at the forefront of creating new rail freight interchanges, to respond to growing interest in rail freight from retailers and their logistics companies – but it has been a long hard struggle to convince the planners that such developments will lead to new rail freight services. Railfreight interchanges such as DIRFT have delivered – creating sustainable developments, sustainable employment and sustainable distribution. As Britain’s road network grinds to a halt, more rail freight services are needed to keep the shelves stacked, and more interchanges are needed across the country. Yet developers have committed millions of pounds to supporting central Government and industry aspirations for more rail freight use, often over 5 years or more and with no guidance or support from the local planning process.”

Hughes added:

“Network Rail has this month forecast a 30% increase in the amount of rail freight over the next 10 years, and is looking at how to expand the rail network to cope, because otherwise we will end up with a lot more trucks on the road. Developers are also prepared to commit more than £2bn of private-sector money to bring a new network of rail freight interchanges into use. Government, industry and the public have signalled their desire to move more freight by rail – we now need a planning framework that translates this support into action at the local level.”

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