Rail freight

Mainline upgrades needed to allow longer and extra freight trains, says TfN

09 September 2016The rail network in the north must be upgraded to allow 20% longer freight trains to operate on a six-day week basis, as well as connect to newly-developed multimodal distribution parks (MDPs) that limit freight activity by road, Transport for the...

Changes promised to reduce impact of controversial freight interchange

26 August 2016The developers behind a proposed freight interchange in Northamptonshire have altered the plans to try to address residents’ concerns. The Rail Central Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) will take up eight million square feet on a si...

Delivering for freight

07 July 2016Paul McMahon, managing director of freight and national passenger operators at Network Rail, discusses the core elements and plans for the new virtual freight route.

SRFIs and the development consent order process

06 July 2016Elizabeth Dunn, a partner, and Stephen Humphreys, an associate in Burges Salmon’s Planning & CPO team discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs) in the UK.

Transforming rail freight through technology

05 July 2016Rail freight in the UK is changing, with traditional markets such as coal and steel falling significantly and growth coming in new sectors where user expectations are constantly increasing, writes Maggie Simpson, executive director of the Rail Fre...

Proposals for new West Midlands freight hub open to public consultation

14 June 2016A new rail freight hub with direct access to the West Coast Main Line could be built near Featherstone in Staffordshire. Consortium Four Ashes are holding consultation events on design plans for the West Midlands Interchange, which will be built...

GB Railfreight names last Class 66 locomotive ‘Evening Star’

11 May 2016GB Railfreight has named the last Class 66 locomotive to be built for the UK and European markets ‘Evening Star’. Locomotive 66779, which has been liveried in lined passenger express ‘brunswick green’, was named after the...

How does freight fit in with rail devolution?

05 April 2016Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, Campaign for Better Transport, discusses the recommendations from the Shaw Report and what this means for the freight sector.

New Scottish Rail Freight Strategy promises more support and investment in CP6

22 March 2016The Scottish freight industry will receive special support in CP6 following measures laid out in the new Rail Freight Strategy. The strategy, published today, says that the freight industry will provide advice to the Scottish government on the es...

More rail freight needed for sustainable connectivity in Scotland

03 March 2016More rail freight is vital for allowing the Scottish government to promote long-term sustainable connectivity, the government’s transport minister has said. Speaking at the Rail Freight Group (RFG) conference in Stirling, Derek Mackay MSP s...

DB Schenker Rail to change name to DB Cargo UK

02 March 2016Freight company DB Schenker Rail UK, which operates Royal Mail services, will become DB Cargo UK from today. The company has operated all Royal Mail services since 2010 and it recently won a five-year contract with building materials company Tarm...

North franchises ‘will not deliver transformational infrastructure’

26 February 2016The railway across the north needs a “bigger, more expensive, and transformational” solution to fix its historical lack of investment, because what is committed now simply is not enough, rail bosses have said. The leaders of Transport...

Last GB Railfreight Class 66 locomotives arrive in UK

15 February 2016The last diesel-powered Class 66 locomotives to be operated by GB Railfreight (GBRf) are due to be transported to Doncaster today after arriving in the UK last week. The seven Class 66s (66773-6679), from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) in the USA, a...

Four major freight operators awarded five-year Tarmac deals

14 January 2016British building materials company Tarmac has awarded four major companies to deliver rail freight services around its new hubs and rail supply routes. Colas Rail, GB Railfreight, Freightliner and DB Schenker have all bagged five-year contracts t...

East Midlands freight interchange gets green light

14 January 2016The East Midlands Gateway Rail Freight Interchange, planned for a site north of East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, has been granted development consent by transport minister Robert Goodwill MP. The strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI)...