UK Draft Rail Reform Bill published to mixed reaction
The 32-page draft Rail Reform Bill very much escaped, rather than launched, on Tuesday, 20 February. On what editors would call “a busy news day”, the procedural legislative launch of a pre-legislative document was somewhat...Read more
Cowley branch is another project for Oxford
A little-used freight line in suburban Oxford is a step closer to being resurrected as a mixed-traffic route. The Cowley branch, which serves the car manufacturing plant of the same name, has seen the local...Read more
British legislation railblocks international rail freight market
Whatever ambitions are harboured by the sector, the UK’s eagerness for international rail freight faces formidable challenges. Tapping into the export and import market is a hurdle race, with the bar seemingly rising higher at...Read more
UK Government rail freight plan questioned over limited ambition
The UK Government has kept a promise to deliver a Rail Freight Growth Target by Christmas. It has set what it calls an ambitious target to grow rail freight by at least 75 per cent...Read more
TRIG funding triggers 3Squared’s freight PathPlanner project
Railway technology specialists 3Squared, headquartered in Sheffield, have put to good use their award from the UK Government-backed Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme. The recently concluded round of applications, which closed last week,...Read more
UK law on minimum service levels has implications for rail freight
Legislation aimed at curbing the crippling round of strikes in the UK could impact the rail freight industry. That’s the view of the influential House of Commons Transport Committee, a cross-bench body that reports to...Read more
UK Government public consultation on planning and logistics
The UK government has initiated a public consultation to explore the relationship between the freight and logistics sector and the planning system in the country. This call for evidence aims to address the needs of...Read more
UK transport policy in meltdown
Never mind the prime ministerial resignation. GBR could be scrapped. Strikes could be outlawed. Such is the febrile level of disarray in the UK government that not one, but two major transport policies, both worthy...Read more
UK mini budget on Friday or a fiscal non-event for rail freight sector
Rail freight has been feeling the pinch as much as any other sector in the UK economy. The direct costs of operations have been going down the fast line like an express train running late,...Read more
UK government freight strategy questioned
A week after the launch of the UK government’s strategy document, “Future of Freight – a long term plan”, which seems to have lasted longer than the UK government, questions have been raised about the...Read more
UK government sets out a future of freight
An extensive report from the British government has set out its vision for the future of freight in the UK, covering all modes including rail. It says the entire sector must face up to future...Read more
UK Strike: Reconciliation recedes
The prospect for a resolution to the current rail dispute in Britain seems even further down the line. A deal is less likely now, at the end of a week of strike action. With the...Read more
Overwhelming vote for strike action as British railway relations hit the buffers
UK trades union members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. The result of a nationwide ballot was announced late on Tuesday evening, giving unions a mandate to call their members out in what has been...Read more
UK rail industry responds to ‘piecemeal’ Integrated Rail Plan
The Railway Industry Association, the national trade body representing over 300 rail companies, has responded unfavourably to the UK government Integrated Rail Plan. The long-awaited document, giving details of revised plans for the North of...Read more
UK rail industry urges government to put rail investment into fast track
The latest Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline is long overdue. That is why the Railway Industry Association (RIA), the national trade body for the rail supply chain, says the UK government must urgently publish it. The...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
Long hot summer of uncertainty for UK rail industry
UK’s Rail Industry Association has called on the government in London to make some critical decisions before it takes its summer recess at the end of next week. It says the UK government has ten...Read more
UK rail freight responds to Spending Review
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak promised that rail will feature in the pandemic recovery programme. He said this in the Autumn Spending Review to the British parliament on Wednesday. Despite the worst ever economic figures in...Read more
Benefits for UK rail freight in accelerated infrastructure programme
A programme of infrastructure development brought forward by the UK government today, can give the rail freight sector cautious optimism. A commitment to spread the current building boom around the country can provide opportunities for...Read more