16 >> 15 additional freight


Issue 5 2016 - Freight Business Journal


pass en g er trains and then some traffic comes


along, all the additional costs will be loaded onto the freight scheme – you need to take a holistic view.” Meanwhile, electrification of the main line from London to South Wales (and Bristol) is proceeding, though at a painfully slow rate. It’s still unclear whether the wires will extend any further west than Cardiff; the new designs of bi-mode passenger


trains could operate


under diesel power between there and Swansea. For freight, electrication for the full length of the route would be essential if it was to switch from using diesel power throughout – bi-mode heavy freight locomotives are probably not a practical proposition, at least for more than - literally - final mile operation. Encouragingly, though, it now


appears that electrification through the Severn Tunnel will allow for


gauge enhancement but gauge enhancement on the line west of Swindon may not be carried out at the same time as the electrification work, but at a later stage (Control period 5 as opposed to Control Period 6 to use the Network Rail jargon) which could make it more expensive and difficult to achieve. Another potential scheme puts


a question mark over the freight operation in the South Wales valleys. If plans to turn the local rail network into a high frequency ‘metro’ operation come to fruition, that could preclude freight ever getting onto the tracks. Quite apart from the difficulty of finding paths among frequent metro passenger services, there are rules that prevent heavy conventional trains sharing tracks with tramcar


style units


lightweight in case of


collisions. At the moment, there is just one regular freight movement in the Valleys, coal trains to Aberthaw power station and those have a finite lifespan ahead


of the ending of coal burning for power generation. It’s not clear if a metro scheme could be devised that somehow retain the ability to handle freight should any future flows develop; the Tyne & Wear network in north-east England does do so, but only by retaining separate tracks for freight trains. A few other developments of


freight interest are dotted around Wales. One is the replacement nuclear power station at Wylfa on the north coast of Anglesey which will generate substatial tonnages of inbound aggregates and steel. Current plans are to build a jetty at or near the site and bring all the heavy tonnages in by sea, but Robin Smith argues that a rail terminal at an abandoned tank farm at nearby Rhosgoch on the mothballed freight branch to Amlwch could be an alternative, bearing in mind that the north Anglesey coast is a particularly inhospitable place for shipping.


Heavy charges take their toll on Welsh freight industry


Getting goods in and out of the country is exercising the industry in Wales more than any other issue, says Freight Transport Association (FTA) head of policy Ian Gallagher. On 13 June he appeared


alongside Ian Jarman of member company Owens Group at the Welsh Affairs Committee in Chepstow to give evidence about the two bridges currently operated by Severn River Crossing, but due to be handed back to the government in just two years time, in 2018. FTA says that the tolls are amongst the highest in the country and is seeking clarity about their future. Ian Gallagher said: “The future


is uncertain for businesses who rely on the bridges every day. It is unthinkable that we are so close to the transition date and still do not know what this will mean for users and staff.” The biggest uncertainty, he told


FBJ, was what would happen to the £63m outstanding debt on the bridge and whether it would be handed back to the government, who would presumably service it by continuing to charge high tolls on the bridge. Mr. Gallagher added: “The net


toll revenue received by Severn River Crossing was around £98 million in 2015. Maintenance costs for the bridges are around £15 million so there is genuine scope


to reduce the tolls much further than the 50% level announced by the Chancellor at the last budget.” Ian Jarman, who is also vice


chair of FTA’s Welsh Freight Council said: “With the handover of both of the Severn crossings back into public ownership potentially as early as October 2017, it is important that we as an industry gain cross-party support for this issue.” The Severn tolls are some of the


highest in the country, currently £19.60 for an HGV and with even a van paying £11. (Tolls are in effect return rates as they are charged in one direction only.) In contast, the Tamar Bridge that connects Cornwall to Devon and the outside world charges only £4.10. Moreover, unlike the Humber or Dartford crossings, regular users of the Severn Bridge do not enjoy any discounts. FTA’s appearance follows


written evidence already provided to the Committee in May, where the Association called for the tolls to be either scrapped altogether or reduced to a level that covered only maintenance and operating costs. Just to rub salt into the industry’s


wounds, the Severn crossing has not invested in tehcnology to allow tolls to be collected automatically from vehicles on the move, unlike the Dartford crossing, for instance, so there are frequent queues on an


already heavily congested stretch on motorway. Mr. Jarman added: “There is an urgent need for free-flow technology to be used to ease congestion around the toll plazas, along with the need for high frequency discounts and the potential of off-peak running time discounts too.” Rail could also play a direct


role in moving more freight to and from South Wales, Ian Gallagher adds. FTA would be keen to see a large intermodal terminal developed in South Wales, over and above the existing facilities at Cardiff (Wentloog) and Barry. Like the Rail Freight Group,


FTA is also keen to see gauge enhancement and a new terminal on the North Wales Coast line. One other problem that Wales


faces, along with much of the rest of Great Britain,


is lack of


convenient lorry parking. Ian Gallagher acknowledges that there are few incentives for local authorities to provide it, but drivers are legally required to stop and take breaks. The new Parc Cybi facility near Holyhead has fulfilled a need in North Wales, being on the main A55 itself (although a site in Deesside was less successful, he says, being too far off the main routes) but South Wales currrently only has the Magor service area, which incorporates a small lorry area.


Look – no pilot Regular scheduled airfreight in


Wales is at a pretty low ebb. The country boasts only one airport with scheduled international flights – Cardiff – and while this has in the past served as a local hub for TNT, there are currently no scheduled freighter services. Bellyhold cargo carryings on the airport’s passenger-orientated passenger flights are pretty minimal.


Toulouse in the south of France. But even more groundbreaking


airfreight activity is taking place in the rather unlikely setting of West Wales Airport, near Aberporth on the south-west Welsh coast. The National Aeronautical Centre (NAC) is using the airport as a base for research into unmanned cargo aircraſt (UCAs). Currently, Civil Aviation Regulations require unmanned


///WALES


of unmanned aircraſt and while we don’t do research ourselves, we have private companies here who are do all manner of research.” Unmanned aircraſt based


at the site include the MoD’s Watchkeeper intelligence system which uses half-tonne unmanned planes with 19 hours’ endurance and able to fly at 18,000 feet. At the other end of the scale is the 20kg Prion which will be used for Antartic surveys or coastal inspections. The NAC believes that UCAs


could take over many of the roles currently fulfilled by manned aircraſt or the more arduous tasks from ground transport such as disaster relief in remote regions. They could also have a role in cargo deliveries, especially the larger machines. While the size of aircraſt that can


The biggest area of airfreight


activity is in fact just inside Wales, at Airbus’s Broughton plant near Chester. Based at a former airbase, the plant has its own runway which handles regular flights by Airbus’s own Beluga freighter aircraſt carrying aircraſt wings from Broughton to the plane- maker’s main assembly plant at


aircraſt flying outside the operator’s line of sight to be operated in segregated airspace and the airport is unique in that it enables manned and unmanned flights directly into two separate areas. Managing director of West


Wales Airport, Ray Mann, explained: “We’ve created here a centre able to operate all manner


busiest ferry port


Holyhead now UK’s second


be handled at West Wales Airport is limited, NAC has also signed a partnership with Newquay airport in Cornwall. When this goes live, expected in September, it will widen the possibilities and create further opportunities for research. While other countries may have


developed some of the technology first, the UK, he is leading the world in actually turning them into commercially viable realities, Ray Mann believes.


Holyhead, which is now the second largest ferry port in the UK, aſter Dover. Ian Davies says: “The concern


for us is that as the port continues to grow, the issues may become more prominent, and so a longer term view and solution needs to be considered.” In 2015 Stena Line introduced


the Stena Superfast X on the Holyhead – Dublin route. While there are no immediate plans for further new tonnage, Stena has ordered four large ropax vessels for 2019, with the option of an additional


four vessels. Where


Stena Line’s Holyhead-Dublin ferry route continued to show strong growth in 2015 and this trend has continued in 2016, says Route manager Irish Sea South, Ian Davies. The market in the South, between Fishguard and


Rosslare has also grown, albeit at a muchslower rate than the central corridor. Several studies on infrastructure


improvements have been done in conjunction with agencies and local government in and around


New recruit for Rhys Davies


Sebastian Lyndon-Jones has joined South Wales forwarding and logistics company Rhys Davies. He will be joining primarily as an operator, but has a strong sales background, says general manager, Gary Philips, who adds: “He will take a more pro-active


approach on customer visits and also be out in the market place developing and chasing up new sales opportunities.” Rhys Davies, based at Taffs


Well near Cardiff has been rapidly increasing its forwarding turnover in the past two years


these vessels will be deployed has yet to be decided. Competition on the Irish Sea


is increasing, meanwhile. Irish Ferries has announced a new ro pax vessel to be delivered in May 2018 and indications are that it will replace a smaller chartered vessel.


aſter revitalising the international arm of its business, with new IT systems and a focus on business growth. It handles import and export


traffic for a wide variety of customers, not only in Wales but throughout England. The business also includes a substantial domestic logistics operation.


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