12
Issue 1 2012
Industry welcomes Government logistics plans
Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for a network of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges and to improve access for rail freight to and from the country’s major ports. It comes as part of a £55m investment in the Strategic Rail Freight Network announced in
his Autumn Statement. The
money will be used to double track between Ely and Soham and to gauge clear between Syston Junction near Leicester and Stoke. Secretary of State for Transport
Justine Greening said that an expanded network of interchanges, complemented by other terminals,
was needed to support longer-term development of efficient rail freight and in ensuring UK businesses have access to robust and efficient supply chains. They would also generate large numbers of jobs, both during construction and in operation. New guidance will help to simplify the planning process for developers, and will help them to progress key schemes which have been on hold since the abolition of regional special strategies in 2010. The move was welcomed
by industry representatives, including the Rail Freight Group, whose chairman, Tony Berkeley,
said: “This guidance is a clear and welcome statement of Government commitment to rail freight. There is an urgent need to develop more facilities, particularly in the south east. We are particularly pleased that the guidance has the support not just of DfT but also of the Treasury and the Department of Communities and Local Government.” The Chartered
Institute of
Logistics and Transport (CILT) also welcomed the Chancellor’s announcements. Chief executive Steve Agg
said that the rail developments in the Midlands and
London were important for freight. Freightliner’s head of rail
strategy, Lindsay Durham, added: “Following the success so far of the investment in the Strategic Freight Network it is really pleasing that further support of the development of key rail routes from the major ports has been brought forward. The announcement to invest in the doubling of the line from Soham to Ely and to gauge clear Syston Junction to Stoke are particularly welcomed
as these schemes
will really make a difference and will relieve current capacity bottlenecks.”
Keswick ventures into Poland
UK private equity group Keswick Enterprises has joined forces with Vector Global Logistics based in Gdynia, to create a joint venture, Keswick Vector SCM Polska, 52% owned by Keswick Enterprises and 48% by Vector Global Logistics. Keswick Enterprises already has operations in South East Europe
- centred on Romania - but this is the company’s first venture into Poland. Keswick Vector SCM Polska will
focus on developing warehousing and transport related supply chain management activities in Poland, particularly in the clothing & textiles, automotive, food and other
FMCG and retail sectors. The new company will start with 6,000 sq metres of warehousing in Gdansk. Keswick Enterprises was
created in 2004 to develop and invest in supply chain related businesses. These include Spatial (freight forwarding, warehousing/
fulfilment, mail and courier), Link Logistics (contract logistics), SGL
(co-packing/contract
manufacturing) and Keswick Management Services (logistics consultancy) in the UK, plus Tibbett Logistics (contract logistics and intermodal transport) in Romania.
Tibbett opens second road-rail terminal
The British Ambassador to Romania Martin Harris officially opened Tibbett Logistics’ second intermodal terminal in Bucharest. The opening ceremony at Europolis Park in early December was attended by 200 guests from multinational manufacturers, retailers, forwarders and shippers, along with other local dignitaries.
Ambassador Harris commented:
“When I arrived in Romania in 2010 one of my first trips was to Constanta, which is one of the largest ports in Europe. I found it extraordinary that many companies in Romania preferred to be supplied from Rotterdam, two thousand kilometres away by truck. One year later, that is changing. The upgrade
to the railway line, and the new intermodal terminal in Bucharest, make Constanta an increasingly attractive option.” As well as block trains operated
by Tibbett Logistics itself between Constanta
and Bucharest, the
terminal is open to all end-users and operators, and will handle trains to/ from the EU, Turkey and western
Romania. Early 2012 will see the arrival of the first trains with car- transporter wagons. The first fully loaded train
entered the terminal to the accompaniment of fireworks and ELO’s Mr Blue Sky upon which the rain that had been falling continuously for the previous 12 hours suddenly stopped.
///NEWS
NEWS ROUNDUP ROAD & RAIL
Northern Ireland Environment Minister Alex Attwood has reassured the Freight Transport Association that Operator Licensing would be introduced into Northern Ireland by April this year. It follows a long campaign by the industry to put Ulster on a similar footing to the rest of the UK. The scope for the new ‘O-licensing’ regime was passed in January 2010, but there has been no progress since then. Licensing of transport operators has existed in the rest of the UK for 40 years.
Pall-Ex Romania has started network operations from its hub in Sibiu, the second European Pall-Ex country partner to launch in the last 12 months. On the first night of operations members exchanged 180 pallets through the hub, fulfilling next day deliveries for retailers, manufacturers, importers and freight forwarders. Services offered include next day or 48- hour country-wide and timed deliveries.
EU transport ministers have adopted revised legislation paving the way for introduction of a new design of tachograph from mid-2018. The new devices should be harder to falsify with satellite communication with control authorities and allow better targeting of non-conforming vehicles. The Commission plans to adopt specifications by the end of 2014. Vehicles operating solely within a 100km radius of their place of establishment may be exempted from the tachograph rules.
The Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI) has voiced its concerns over “one size fits all” Brussels legislation on trailer height. It comes after Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins highlighted the “detrimental environmental and congestion impacts” of EU plans to reduce the country’s truck height from 4.65m to 4m by 2014.
The Freight Transport Association has launched its Mode Shift Centre (
www.modeshiftcentre.org.uk), a free service aimed at helping potential users of rail and water freight make the best possible use of those modes. It will expand the continuing work of Freight by Water, the UK’s Short-sea Promotion Centre, which FTA took on at the end of 2010. The centre aims to supply the information needed for shippers, hauliers and forwarders who are unfamiliar with these alternative modes .
The Rail Freight Group has attacked the Scottish Government’s plan to cut Freight Facilities Grants by over 60% to just £750,000 in 2012-13. It said that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of freight which could have switched to rail transport will stay on the roads, especially as the cuts come at a time when the roads budget is being increased by 15%.
The Channel Tunnel’s full potential is yet to be unlocked, according to a House of Lords report published on 8 December. The Internal Market, Energy and Transport EU Sub-Committee called on the EU to ensure the full implementation of the Railway Packages in all Member States, to ensure fair access for all.
Israel said it plans to build a 220-mile railway line linking its Red Sea and Mediterranean ports, according to local press reports. The route between Eilat and Ashdod could be used to landbridge cargo between Asia and Europe.
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