Britain's rail freight operators are calling for 16 core railway enhancements which they say will help growth in rail freight while reducing the size of transport's carbon footprint.
The Rail Freight Operators' Association, whose members are the four main rail freight companies - EWS, Freightliner, Direct Rail Services and GB Railfreight - have identified 16 schemes which have been submitted formally to the Department for Transport for inclusion in its summer spending statement.
The association says that the High Level Output Statement (HLOS) is primarily aimed at satisfying the needs of the passenger railway.
But there is a need for the statement to recognise the recommendations of the Eddington report and the need to enhance transport capacity related to urban, inter-urban and international gateway traffic.
Meanwhile, says the association, schemes announced for Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) funding by the Department for Transport in December 2006 are a good starting point for rail freight, and form part of the 16 schemes. These are:
• Capacity enhancements on the rail routes from the South Humberside ports.
• Capacity and gauge enhancement for 9ft 6ins containers between
Barking and Gospel Oak and Willesden in north London.
• A chord line near Liverpool to allow direct access to Liverpool docks.
• Gauge enhancement for 9ft 6ins containers between Southampton and the West Midlands .
• Gauge and capacity enhancements for 9ft 6ins containers between Peterborough and the West Midlands.
The association says these schemes will allow rail freight growth and are strongly orientated towards the movement of deep sea containers.
But they will not meet all rail freight enhancements required from the national network such as providing more capacity from deep sea ports, gauge enhancement for continental traffic, accommodating longer and heavier trains and relieving congestion.
The 16 schemes would increase capacity, help the environment by allowing more freight to be captured to rail and provide better connections to ports and the Channel Tunnel.
Graham Smith, EWS planning director and chairman of the Rail Freight Operators' Association, said: "Recent research has shown that a tonne of freight moved by rail creates five times less carbon dioxide than the same tonne being moved on the roads.
"Rail freight is also up to 15 times better than road in terms of other noxious emissions. If we wish to reduce the size of transport's carbon footprint, the fast route to this is increasing rail freight."