New freight facility
Network Rail explores the possibility of a Paris-style multi-storey express freight terminal facility in London.
Network Rail is keen to create a multi-storey express freight terminal on the outskirts of London, in order to diversify its land portfolio and tap into the booming parcel movement business.
The plan is inspired by the La Chapelle development in Paris, which boasts a rail terminal in the basement, with a warehouse, data centre, supermarket, residential properties and an open garden above.
“We know of the development in Paris - it looks excellent and we’re looking to do that in London,” Ed Wilson, Business Development Manager, Freight at Network Rail, exclusively told RAIL.
“We’ve shortlisted five or six sites [of which Network Rail owns the land], all within the North Circular as a perimeter.
“We know there’s interest out there from developers - we’ve sounded out the market, and I would expect that later this year we’ll be looking to invite expressions of interest in developing a facility.”
Wilson said Network Rail would seek to let out the upper levels to commercial and residential businesses, to help fund the construction of the development.
However, he cautioned that a La Chapelle-style site would still be years away, because of the amount of time it takes to process planning applications and negotiate legal hurdles.
Wilson told RAIL that around 70% of NR’s land allocated for freight development is used by the construction industry, and said the rail freight market “needs to diversify” in order to be stronger in the future.
“The desire and demand for express parcels traffic is increasing. It’s gathering pace,” he said.
“We only have the Royal Mail in terms of that kind of model of train, but the rolling stock companies are looking at re-purposing some passenger
vehicles [ RAIL 847].
“It’s a good sign for the future, but when it comes to the NR freight estate I think we can support this.”
Alongside the plan to create a London La Chapelle freight development, Wilson revealed to RAIL that NR is also looking at the potential to run high-speed express parcel trains (as envisaged by Intermodality UK’s Nick Gallop,
RAIL 849) into city centre stations at night.
“Funnily enough, stations tend to be right in the middle of city centres. When you’ve got the air quality storms at the moment and the overall concerns about congestion on the road network, why not run train loads of rail freight in the middle of the night?” he said.
“Overnight is the key. You wouldn’t want to put it in at 0900, as we want to segregate the activities. It won’t work everywhere, but it will work in a lot of places.”
Wilson told RAIL that Network Rail is also looking at developing ‘cross-docking facilities’ at out-of- town stations, to allow freight to be unloaded off a lorry and onto a train and vice versa.
“For a cross-docking facility, we only need 1.5 acres of land and it is simple to achieve. Simply, it’s a platform with an area of yard for road vehicles to reverse,” he said, claiming that work on such a project could start immediately as planning permission would not be required.
“It’s a big opportunity,” he concluded. “I’ve not spoken to anyone yet who thinks any of these things are bad ideas.”