Rail freight

Council still considering whether to appeal Radlett decision

24 March 2015St Albans City and District Council (SADC) is still considering whether to appeal the High Court’s decision to dismiss its appeal against a rail freight terminal at Radlett being built on green belt land.  Last year, the council challe...

Eversholt Rail sells entire freight wagon fleet

03 March 2015Eversholt Rail, the rolling stock leasing company, has announced it is selling its entire freight wagon fleet to Nacco (UK) Ltd. The sale is for an undisclosed price. The fleet consists of 920 wagons and 63 load units. The vehicles range from con...

Port of Sunderland lines back in use after 20 years

06 February 2015The transport secretary has visited the north east to see a locomotive run along the rail line to the Port of Sunderland, for the first time in 20 years.  The use of the lines for a light engine rail trial yesterday followed £600,000 w...

Redesign calls for Channel Tunnel’s open shuttle trains after latest fire

02 February 2015Lord Berkeley has called on the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission to review the design of open shuttle trains that carry lorries through the Channel Tunnel.  In a letter to Chris Irwin, head of the UK delegation to the Channel Tunn...

High Court appeal over Radlett SRFI to be heard next week

30 January 2015The government’s decision to approve plans for the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) at Radlett will be challenged in the High Court next week.  In the last seven years, St Albans District Council (SADC) has spent £1.4m f...

Eurotunnel increases fleet strength with £31m order

13 January 2015Eurotunnel has ordered three new freight shuttles for its fleet to meet the “growing demand” of cross-Channel traffic flows. The Channel Tunnel operator, which is also seeking a buyer for its MyFerryLink business after a UK court uphe...

Upgraded Ipswich Yard ‘fully operational’ after 12-week delay

22 December 2014The newly upgraded Ipswich Yard, which includes extended rail sidings, new overhead line equipment and signals, is now fully operational with freight operators able to use it.  Network Rail confirmed that the £25m upgrade project, whic...

Government reiterates support for strategic rail freight interchanges

18 December 2014The government has reiterated its support for strategic rail freight interchanges (SRFIs) for driving economic growth, despite many of them facing local opposition and planning delays.  The  National Networks National Policy Statement (...

Freight train derails in Northumberland

19 November 2014A freight train has derailed in Northumberland as it delivered coal from Blyth to Cottam power station. The train, operated by DB Schenker, came off the tracks Monday night but remained strewn across the line throughout Tuesday. Nobody was injur...

Network Rail to buy more than 100 rail freight sites

03 November 2014Network Rail has agreed a deal to buy more than 100 rail freight sites from three of the country’s biggest freight operating companies, including 87 from DB Schenker alone. The self-financing transaction will see the owner of Britain’...

Eurotunnel outlines five obstacles to new cross-Channel freight services

31 October 2014Eurotunnel has called on the government to work with its European counterparts to tackle five obstacles it says are significant barriers to companies seeking to launch new rail freight services through the Channel Tunnel. Throughout Europe there...

Another rail freight interchange faces local opposition

22 October 2014A planned Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) in the East Midlands is facing opposition from a local action group who want the plans scrapped. The opposition to the East Midlands Gateway is reminiscent of the struggles faced to get the Radl...

Network Rail to reconnect rail lines at Port of Sunderland

02 October 2014Network Rail has started work to reconnect the Port of Sunderland to rail lines that were last used almost 20 years ago.  The project, set to boost the port’s import and export credentials, will take up to six months to complete, with...

The North of England Programme: Northern Hub plus electrification

10 September 20142015 is a critical year for the Northern Hub, which has been combined into a single programme with electrification in the north west to ensure co-ordinated, safe, efficient delivery. RTM met Network Rail’s principal sponsor for north west En...

Radlett SRFI depot row rolls on

01 September 2014The latest chapter in the long-running planning debate on the potential development of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) at Radlett has taken a new twist and turn. David Stevenson reports.  In July this year it appeared progress ha...