Collaboration brings benefits for freight operators

I read with interest the article regarding the digital railway and freight ( Analysis, RAIL 846).

Many Rail Freight Group members have been involved in the development to date, and it is fair to say that many of the points raised in the article are already recognised as project and business risks.

That collective realisation of the risks produced a unique response from the freight sector to work collaboratively, resulting in the formation in 2012 of the Freight Stakeholder Group, which consisted of the freight operators, Network Rail, the Office of Rail and Road and Department for Transport.

This group remains the key interface between various parties to understand the risks and their mitigation, and also to understand how to maximise the opportunities that will arise for the benefit of the industry.

The freight operators are actively supporting that work, and bring real operational and technical knowledge to the table as well as maintaining a view on any commercial implications, alongside the expertise provided by the Digital Railway team.

We were pleased that as a result of this collective work, the contract with Siemens for on-board fitment and support has been signed. In parallel, the freight operators also signed an agreement with Network Rail to continue to support the programme going forward.

Therefore, while there has been some nervousness about the potential implications, the response has been one of working collaboratively together to shape the ‘digital’ solutions and adapt where necessary to minimise the risk and maximise the benefits for rail freight growth.