NEWS\\\


GB Railfreight (GBRf) has told the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into Access to Ports that barriers to rail operators should be eliminated. The company, which operates from 11 UK ports, argues that the rail freight industry requires


full, approach intelligently to co-


ordinated access to ports but is hampered by a lack of a joined- up


government


investment policy in the sector. The industry must have a regulatory regime that promotes competition and ensures there are no barriers to port access, it says. John Smith, GBRf’s managing


director, said: “Ports are the life source of our business. It is crucial


they are readily accessible to bulk and multi-modal rail freight to allow them to work at maximum efficiency and be utilised to their full potential.” He later told FBJ that ease


access to UK ports “depends on the commodity.” In the bulk market – Immingham, Hull or Blyth, for example, “it’s reasonably open access. But for intermodal it can be a very different picture.” He continued: “Felixstowe


controls and manages its own terminals, and while traffic has grown, it has invested in near facilities.” Capacity at the Hutchison-owned port was tight, but it was fairly distributed, and


Battle of the English Channel


The Eurotunnel Group said it would challenge a report by the UK Competition Commission. In its provisional findings, published on 19 February, the CC said that the tunnel operator’s purchase of assets belonging to bankrupt SeaFrance ferry line would reduce competition and increase prices. Eurotunnel said however it was


not surprised at the position of the Competition Commission as existing ferry operators were using the British competition process “to protect their own interests from new entrants and increased competition.” It added: “Eurotunnel considers


that the acquisition of the ex SeaFrance ships, nine months aſter that company ceased all operations, and the creation of a new competitor in the cross-Channel marketplace,


MyFerryLink, constitutes an increase in competition and brings additional choice for customers,” it added. Later, Eurotunnel boss


Jacques Gounon accused Dover Tory MP Charlie Elphicke of xenophobia and ‘ferry- centricsm’. In a letter to the MP, the Eurotunnel chairman and chief executive officer said he was taking “a one-sided and limited view of developments in the cross-Channel market.” Gounon told Mr Elphicke:


“Your description of Eurotunnel’s approach as ‘unacceptable, unethical and irresponsible’ leads me to believe that you.. have taken a rather narrow, ill- informed and ferry centric view of life across the Channel.” Mr Elphicke said he was just trying to protect local jobs.


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GBRf was able to run six return trips a day, said Smith. But the company had failed


to gain access to Southampton, where the main terminal is operated by Freightliner, he said. “We have been told that there isn’t any spare capacity,” said Smith. “You would think there would be an incentive and a business case to invest in more, but that doesn’t


seem to happen.” GBRf had written a number of times to gain access to either the Freightliner on-dock terminal or the off-dock facility used by EWS, but had been rebuffed on each occasion, he said. It appeared though that the new


London Gateway port would have open access for rail operators. EWS has already declared its hand in saying that it will operate services


Issue 2 2013


Let us into more ports, says rail operator


from there to its main hubs. “We haven’t quite gone that far yet, but we would definitely be interested,” said Smith. He sees the biggest limitation


on rail traffic to and from London Gateway as the rail route around London, which uses the busy North London Line which has lately seen an increase in


passenger train frequency.


3


London politicians have suggested that passenger trains should have priority because freight trains heading from the port to the Midlands and North contribute nothing to the local economy. “That argument annoys me,”


says Smith. “A lot of the goods on those trains end up being distributed back to London from the Midlands.”


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