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date 17 April 1997 source Railtrack plc type Press release
A 10-point strategy plan to increase rail freight and reverse many years of decline was launched by Railtrack today (17 April).
Complementing the company's recent commitment to spend £4 million a day on the network, the Promotion of Rail Freight details the actions being taken by Railtrack to develop freight and sets out targets against which its success can be monitored.
Railtrack's Head of Freight Robin Gisby said: "Railtrack is committed to getting freight off the roads and onto the railway. We want to build the future for rail freight in Britain and are investing in plans to incease the network's capacity for freight at lower cost to users."
The plan sets out to:
o Continue the process of reducing operating costs.
o Continue developing increased capacity for freight on several major routes which mirror motorway corridors carrying road freight, including Channel Tunnel to the Midlands, North and Scotland (M2, M25, M6 and M74), Southampton to the Midlands (A34) and Felixstowe to the Midlands and North (A14). A comprehensive guide to the enhanced characteristics of the network will be completed by September.
o Continue to build on the significant progress made in reducing delays for which it is responsible with a target of a minimum of 5 per cent reduction per annum.
o Develop more high speed freight paths on the network so that customers can exploit the benefits of new technology with the aim of increasing the total of freight paths with a speed restriction of 75 mph or more by 15 per cent per year.
o Invest a further £20 million on the development of 30 terminals over the next two years while protecting potential terminals for future freight use. To encourage new business a practical guide to help customers develop access to the Railtrack network is published today.
o Continue to develop the project to enable higher gauge freight to be transported by rail from the Channel Tunnel to London. Railtrack is reviewing capital costs and alternative routes for the project and expect to have a final view of the options by mid June.
o Generate up to 20 new freight-related project each year subject to market demand.
o Develop open access to the network with the aim of ten per cent of the market is served by new operators within five years.
o Improve information systems used by the industry, including developments in the planning of access to the network so that customers can respond to market opportunities and the development of tracking systems.
o Develop a Code of Practice that will set targets for key aspects of the business with the intention of publishing in May and reporting annually on performance against those targets.
