Calls to advance rail freight over HGV ‘platooning’
GOVERNMENT research into road schemes such as ‘platooning’ and autonomous vehicle technology could also help to deliver a more efficient rail future, Rail Freight Group Executive Director Maggie Simpson told RAIL on August 29.
Simpson was speaking on the day that approval was given for TRL (the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory) to carry out trials that involve lorries being able to accelerate, brake and steer in sync through wireless technology.
“Our concern with this is not so much the forward development of HGV technology, but the absence of cross-modal thinking in Government,” Simpson told RAIL.
“At its most basic, a container train is the equivalent of a platoon of 60 lorries, so supporting rail freight growth - for example, in allocating released capacity from HS2 - could deliver much greater savings for the UK economy.
“More generally, however, the research programmes that Government is funding for roads - whether on platooning, autonomous vehicle technology or alternative fuels - could also help deliver a more efficient future for rail, yet the scope of work often precludes that. We would like to see the benefits of such work extended to all transport modes, allowing each to play to their strengths.”
Campaign for Better Transport’s Freight on Rail Manager Philippa Edmunds said that while platooning may cut costs for road hauliers, putting more freight on rail would bring bigger and quicker reductions in congestion and pollution.
“As motoring groups have pointed out, there are many unresolved issues with lorry platooning on our congested road network. By contrast, our recent research shows that increased rail freight could make a real difference to congestion and pollution on some of the country’s most overcrowded roads,” she said.
“We’d like the Government to give priority to increasing the use of sustainable freight modes and making more efficient use of existing trucks, rather than new technology which, while technically interesting, is likely to have very limited real-world benefits.”
Highways England Chief Executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “The trial has the potential to demonstrate how greater automation of vehicles - in this instance, HGVs - can deliver improvements in safety, better journeys for road users and reduction in vehicle emissions.”
The Government has committed £8.1 million to a platooning trial involving up to three heavy goods vehicles travelling in convoy, with the lead vehicle controlling acceleration and braking. All lorries will always have a driver ready to take control.
DfT stated: “A row of lorries driving closer together could see the front truck pushing the air out of the way, making the vehicles in the convoy more efficient, lowering emissions and improving air quality.”
Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: “Advances such as lorry platooning could benefit businesses through cheaper fuel bills and other road users thanks to lower emissions and less congestion.”