Economic and climate benefits of trailers on trains
Two related items in RAIL 956 illustrate something that the Government should be pushing forward to counter climate change - but there is no evidence that it is doing so.
In Open Access, Ian Taylor wonders why we don’t have trains carrying lorry trailers in the UK, given the economic benefits and the potential reduction in emissions.
Meanwhile, on page 12, there is a report of a new
‘rail motorway’ from the UK and France to Spain. This relates to transit of lorry trailers by ferry and train from the UK and Ireland to south-west France (and viceversa) to serve the Spanish market/suppliers.
What will be the benefit in the UK from this ‘rail motorway’, in terms of reduced road congestion and reduced emissions? Answer… ZERO.
And the benefit in France? Substantial, with the French Government, local French regions and the EU apparently giving financial support to it.
So, where is the UK Government in this? Given the climate crisis and the economic considerations, shouldn’t the Government be pressing, planning and offering financial help for lorry trailers to be carried by rail in the UK?
One issue is that the UK rail loading gauge is a bit restrictive when it comes to accommodating lorry trailers on wagons. But we have High Speed 1, which could carry such traffic and is happy to do so at appropriate times, provided it does not interfere with its high-speed passenger traffic.
So, how about trains carrying lorry trailers coming straight through the Channel Tunnel to (say) Barking or London Gateway via HS1, to serve the London market?
This would require a specialised terminal at Barking or London Gateway, as well as planning to identify customers who would wish to use the service.
Would the Government support such an initiative? Or are we going to carry on bringing lorries through the Channel Tunnel on trains, and then immediately putting all of them onto the UK road network?
And how about reinstating the link between HS1 and HS2? Night-time trains carrying lorry trailers could then possibly run via HS1 and HS2 to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, or Sheffield.
An HS2 Phase 2a Information
Paper on Rail Freight Operations states: “The HS2 infrastructure has not been designed to accommodate traditional slow/heavy rail freight services. As a high-speed, high-capacity service, HS2 could not accommodate such traditional rail freight services without unacceptable detriment to capacity.”
But would that really be the case in the middle of the night?
An alternative might be a link from HS1 to the Midland Main Line, with the latter re-gauged to take wagons carrying lorry trailers.
We surely need to take action to make better use of our rail network to carry freight, particularly to make use of the ability of trains to carry lorry trailers to a point nearer to their eventual destination.
The tools are available to do this - for example, equipment to readily transfer lorry trailers onto and off wagons, at dedicated depots. It just needs planning, determination and finance.
John Labrum, Sidmouth