Manchester needs more rail freight to move construction materials
A new report sets out the economic and environmental case for more rail freight into Greater Manchester. The metropolitan area around Manchester is experiencing a significant construction boom, and the vital part played by rail...Read more
The UK faced a challenging year says Rail Freight Group head
This has been a year of resilience and recuperation. Those were the keynote themes at the Christmas gathering of the Rail Freight Group, the industry’s representative body in the UK. The director general of the...Read more
Rail Freight Group urges Great British Railways to go for growth
A nationwide consultation, mounted by the incoming management agency Great British Railways, has been told that freight growth is the key to unlocking a revival of fortunes in the UK rail sector. The Rail Freight...Read more
A better greener Britain says government transport plan
The British government has published its post-pandemic plans for transport, and rail freight plays a significant role. The plan addresses travel, and transport patterns changes and redefines the route map for transport and logistics in...Read more
UK policy call: Support the supply chain and cut emissions
The UK rail freight industry will be a critical part of the supply chain. That is the finding of the Rail Freight Group’s Phil Smart, newly appointed to the RFG policy team and representing the...Read more
Intermodal dominant but UK needs more, says report
With intermodal accounting for almost half of the rail freight traffic in the UK, more container trains may be the last thing the UK network needs. That however is exactly what a new report says....Read more
REPAIR programme for UK infrastructure
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is almost ready to publish the results of its Rapid Evaluation and Planning Analysis Infrastructure for Railways (REPAIR). The programme is part of a drive to improve rail...Read more
Scottish minister backs words with action
Rail freight opportunities are better than ever. Transport Secretary to the Scottish Government, Michael Matheson, has told the Scottish conference of the Rail Freight Group, the industry’s representative association in the UK, that the present...Read more
UK freight growth ‘hampered’ by deferred works, says RFG head
The growth of rail freight in the UK is being hampered by delays to infrastructure works. That’s the message which Maggie Simpson, Executive Director of the Rail Freight Group, has delivered to a government panel...Read more
UK north transport plan ‘good for modal shift’, says RFG
The Rail Freight Group (RFG) believes the UK Government’s draft transport plan for the north could be a springboard for large-scale modal shift to rail. It was responding to the proposals set out by Transport for...Read more
Freight bodies’ cautious welcome for UK Rail Strategy
UK rail freight campaigners have cautiously welcomed the Government’s new Rail Strategy, which reaffirms ongoing initiatives to boost the sector, but say the integration of regional rail partnerships will present a challenge to freight’s national...Read more
Port of Tilbury unveils new rail freight strategy
The Port of Tilbury, the major trading port gateway for London, has unveiled plans to reinvigorate its entire rail freight infrastructure, including the introduction of regular intermodal services to the Midlands and Scotland. With three rail...Read moreRail Freight Group sets out priorities for incoming Government
The UK Rail Freight Group (RFG) has urged political leaders to make rail freight a key part of their future transport commitments, as the country prepares to go to the polls on June 8. Setting...Read moreRFG’s Maggie Simpson: freight network must be ‘fit for purpose’
As Executive Director of the UK Rail Freight Group, Maggie Simpson’s inbox is never empty. She leads the RFG’s work to increase modal shift, by campaigning for a policy environment which supports rail freight, promotes...Read more
Rail safety course for construction workers is ‘ideal opportunity’
The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has welcomed a new training course offering rail safety awareness training to the construction materials industry. Shaped by the RFG’s own construction working group, the course is targeting those working...Read more
China-London service shows post-Brexit trade potential, says RFG
The launch of the first-ever China-London direct cargo service should be the catalyst for a new era of rail-led imports and exports, says Rail Freight Group (RFG) Executive Director Maggie Simpson. She believes that in...Read more
Rail Freight Group concerns over possible modal grant cut
The Rail Freight Group says it is ‘concerned’ at suggestions the budget for rail freight grants in the UK could be reduced. It follows a report that the Government’s mode shift revenue support (MSRS) grant had...Read more