Pull into any major rail interchange now and chances are you may see new gleaming GB Railfreight electric rolling stock. But that is not the only novel thing happening in the sector, there is much governmental activity to underpin desires for reindustrialisation and devolution. What is planned, by whom and how will it affect significant stakeholders?
Access & Use Consultation
Firstly, Great British Railways (GBR) have launched a consultation into proposed Access & Use policies, looking to glean information from operators about capacity and charges over a 12-week period (responses can be made via this form, window closes midnight, 3 December). Most of the questions relate to constituent chapters of the policy paper:
Scope and statutory status of this policy
Capacity allocation decisions and GBR’s criteria
Building blocks of railway use
Engagement in train service charge
Strategic direction and enabling investment
Making and amending capacity commitments
Updating GBR’s Capacity Plan
Agreeing and revising access contracts
Timetable production and variation
GBR’s charges and performance schemes
Assurance, reporting and complaints
Anit Chandarana, Group Director of System Operator at Network Rail, said: "Our aim is simple: to continue to make fair, transparent and consistent decisions about access to the railway, so we make the best possible use of the network for passengers, freight customers and taxpayers.
“The existing access and charging framework is no longer fit for purpose. It has grown over 30 years through layers of legislation, regulation, contracts and codes, and too often encourages different parts of the railway to take decisions in isolation.”
New freight targets
Allied to the consultation, the government augmented their rail freight growth targets, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander bringing new milestones to support the existing goal of =>75% increase in net tonnage moved by 2050, with a =>40% objective by 2040, including 65% more high value goods; a 45% increase in construction goods and 7% more critical goods being moved by rail by 2040. It is calculated the combined value of freight by this date will increase by 46.8% from £33.7 billion currently to £49.5 billion.
Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of the Rail Freight Group, welcomed the announcement, but identified the key areas GBR will need to get right in order to achieve these ambitious plans, these were:
accessing reliable, high-performing network capacity
develop new services
invest in equipment and terminals
infrastructure must be developed with a pro-rail freight approach
a greater use of electric haulage with greater use of data-driven technology
Independent ORR Review
September also saw a review of the scope and future operational role of the Office of Road & Rail conducted by Dr Richard Judge, the former Chief Executive of the HSE. Looking at how the ORR should perform, where it can improve and how its role should evolve to support economic growth and upcoming rail reforms, the review made 12 main recommendations. They ranged from evolving the ORR into a strategic advisory role, to playing a greater role in network resilience and expanding its roads and asset stewardship in order to regulate major infrastructure projects.
Long-Term Rail Strategy — House of Lords Briefing Paper
Also newly released is the DoT’s new vision for rail, which is striking in the extent to which freight is prioritised, seen to be an important element in securing the government’s growth, connectivity and net-zero agenda. One of the five long-term strategic objectives is "Improve rail passenger and freight connectivity across Britain".
Like the sector’s specific inclusion in the National Planning Policy Framework, this explicit mention is encouraging and perhaps indicates freight will not be last in the queue when the competing interests of passengers, taxpayers and other stakeholders are considered. Particularly telling is the line: “GBR should not treat freight outcomes as contrary to the Transport Secretary's view of a successful railway.”
Freight gets 36 mentions in the strategy paper – generally behind but next to the word ‘passengers’ in most instances. Most telling is arguably: “Choices should protect and develop the capacity, capability and connectivity needed for rail freight to grow, in-line with the Rail Freight Growth Target.” Freight corridors are also identified as one of the three most strategic high-value areas for rail growth.
In summary
Whether you are a fan of the current Government or not, these seem to be tumultuous and potentially transformative times for the sector. It would seem – alongside other realms of governmental activity – that a delicate balancing act is in play – trying to realise wholesale change through legislative instruments whilst simultaneously redefining/lessening the role of regulators, as well as pushing through an unprecedented redesign of the country’s decision-making structures. Let’s hope for the good of the sector it can be successfully delivered.