Freight
My way not the highway
Philippa Edmunds explains why rail freight is sustainable in all senses of the word, and a better option than road freight
R
ail is a sustainable freight mode in economic, environmental and social terms so it is vital for the future well-being of the
British economy. The rail freight sector is a crucial part of the UK’s transport solution and is estimated to contribute £5.9 billion to the UK economy - more than seven times its direct turnover. The different freight modes
complement each other and rail is well placed to provide the long distance trunk haul for consumer products as well as transporting many bulk commodities over varying distances. The economy relies on rail freight; it literally keeps the lights on as 50 per cent of our electricity comes from coal and biomass transported by rail. A third of consumer products imported into the South of England container ports are transported by rail. And London alone receives 40 per cent of its raw construction materials by rail. Rail freight supports the economy by reducing road congestion; an average freight train can remove 60 HGV’s from our roads and an aggregates train can remove up to 130 HGV’s from our roads. In 2011, the FTA calculated that road
congestion cost businesses £24 billion per annum while the DfT estimates the cost of congestion is £1 per lorry miles on the most congested roads. In fact, HGV’s only pay between one to two thirds of the externals costs, (depending on the way it is calculated1
)
in terms of collisions, pollution and congestion imposed on society. This makes it very hard for sustainable modes such as rail and water to compete, so the government has funded the mode shift revenue grants, justified by the economic and social benefits of removing lorry traffic from the roads. The current regime which delivers
excellent value for money, and is only awarded for actual containers removed from roads and is therefore risk free for government, ends in March 2015. We are urging the government to retain and adequately fund the scheme, which remains crucial if existing services are to remain on rail and more new services are to commence so that operators and customer have the confidence to carry on investing in the industry. ORR calculates that rail freight’s reduced congestion benefits are equivalent to 28 pence per HGV mile avoided.
Cost to society Far fewer people die on our roads each year than was the case a decade ago; however HGV’s are lagging behind other transport types in reducing accidents. This is particularity true
December 2013 Page 71
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