PD Ports presses for rail freight improvements

There can be no more delay in providing for modern upgrades to the UK’s failing railways – especially along strategic routes such as the East Coast Mainline (ECML) linking London and Scotland, which still suffer from Victorian-era technology, says the company, which has launched a ‘Rail Britannia’ campaign to press the government for improvements to the rail freight network.

Essential rail gauge enhancements are necessary if the government is to provide more efficient freight access to all parts of the country, and provide the means for the UK to meet environmental targets for reduced CO2 emissions and decreased road congestion. According to figures from the Freight Transport Association (FTA), congestion on the roads currently costs British businesses some £17bn per annum. However, the FTA says that each extra container train that can be added into the UK supply chain will remove 50 lorries from congested roads.

Ports in the North of England are handling in excess of 150m tonnes of cargo per year, with no discernible downturn expected in the future. While the northern UK ports are well situated and capable of handling modern cargo, the railways surrounding them are not. In a recent interview, Martyn Pellew, group development director for PDP, said: “The shipping world is moving increasingly toward the use of more modern, taller 40 ft high-cube (HC) containers. However, the UK’s railways, built for Victorian-era trains, aren’t capable of handling them.”