Rail freight: agent of sustainable growth David Spaven Scottish Representative – Rail Freight Group Transport for Regional Growth conference, Edinburgh, 5 November 2015
The economics of rail freight steel wheel on steel rail, on a guided track a segregated and signalled right of way low line-haul costs for long hauls and/or big volumes
Productivity & performance up to 72 containers per train bulk train payloads up to 1,500t 98% of supermarket boxes on time. © Tom Curry
Wider benefits of rail freight reduced road congestion cuts trunk road surface damage by HGVs – eg timber one third of road haulage equivalent CO2 resilience in face of long-term oil price uncertainty much safer than road haulage.
Rail freight in Britain © Freightliner
Key intermodal hubs in Scotland Deep Sea intermodal – Coatbridge domestic intermodal: - Coatbridge - Grangemouth - Mossend - Aberdeen - Inverness.
Crucial to the Scottish economy whisky exports bottled water supermarket supplies coal oil cement. © John Furnevel
Delivering rail’s potential quality of service – and price route and terminal capacity route and terminal capability.
Capacity case study: Perth-Inverness So when is it going to happen?
The Inter-City Express campaign intercityexpress.transformscotland.org.uk
New location opportunities Alloa / Girvan / Invergordon / Leven / Speyside – whisky Bathgate – national distribution Blackford – bottled water Corpach – timber / fish feed / aluminium Dundee – regional hub for Tayside Millerhill?
Level playing field for capability?
Rail‘s patchwork coverage © Network Rail © WH Davies
Key Scottish aims 1.Coatbridge / Mossend / Grangemouth intermodal rail hubs: - enhance terminal facilities and road access 2. East Coast & West Coast Main Lines: - extend overtaking loops for 775m Channel Tunnel trains 3.Enhance WCML ‘loading gauge’ clearance to match ECML 4.Enhance loading gauge & capacity north of the Central Belt. © John Furnevel
Concluding thoughts rail freight offers market resilience rail freight ticks all the Scottish Government policy boxes but its full potential is not being realised.
Thank you.