Call for rail freight ‘tsar'

FREIGHT train operator GB Railfreight has reiterated its call for the appointment of a rail freight ‘tsar' to act as a lead in the development of rail freight.

GB Railfreight's business development director Tim Hartley repeated the suggestion first made by the TOC's managing director John Smith in May. Speaking on June 22 at an online webinar focusing on industry reaction to the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail (see July issue), which laid out the framework of the new entity Great British Railways (GBR), Hartley commented: “[we would like] somebody at the centre of GBR to champion rail freight.”

Hartley said that proposed legislative safeguards for the freight sector are “the first step in ensuring that freight is given the same credence as passenger services.” He added that recognition of the contribution the industry makes to the economy, meaningful engagement throughout the industry and decarbonisation were likely to be key themes for the freight sector going forward.

Asked in a Q&A later in the webinar if the Williams-Shapps Plan would do enough for freight, Hartley conceded that it was too early to tell, but he was pleased with the focus on modal shift. “This creates a more sustainable and integrated transportation solution,” he said. He called for more strategic vision around planning and urged parties to think about rail freight in a systemic fashion, not just as an investment add-on.

Clean Air Power Decarbonisation in action: Freightliner's No. 66503 The Railway Magazine (RE’s sister title), seen here at the head of an intermodal train, is one of many Class 66s which could benefit from a project by Clean Air Power to demonstrate the ability to substitute diesel with both hydrogen and biogas. This will be achieved by retrofitting a Class 66 with precision injection technology, so that it can run on a combination of diesel, biogas and hydrogen.