GBRf wants proposed ‘freight evangelist’ to push for growth

GB Railfreight (GBRf ) has called for the new dedicated rail freight ‘guiding mind’ to push the case for recovery and growth in response to the structural changes to Britain’s railways announced on May 19.

The new position, which will oversee all British rail freight operations, was unveiled in the Williams-Shapps White Paper and will be part of the Great British Railways organisation led by Network Rail.

GBRf wants the ‘freight evangelist’ to commit to a fivepoint manifesto to ensure the sector can continue to grow and support the UK economy.

The five point plan calls for the holder of the new role to champion the economic value of rail freight so that it is on an equal footing with passenger traffic; to put decarbonisation at the heart of their plan for the sector; enforce a track access regime that is reliable and fair to allow operators to deliver growth; to deliver freight-specific investment such as electrification and improvements to critical infrastructure that unlocks freight capacity and to take a national view, but also devolve powers over operations to the regions to ensure the smooth running of services across the country.

GB Railfreight managing director John Smith said: “We are at a critical point in the rail sector’s future. The decisions in the White Paper this week will have long-lasting consequences. “What rail freight needs now is parity of esteem with passenger services, and we need a voice round the table that can make the case for us. We have shown that we are an integral part of the UK economy but rail freight also has an important role to play in reaching net zero emissions.”

■ GBRf has extended its contract with Belmond to operate the ‘Royal Scotsman’ landcruise train for another five years.

GBRf replaced West Coast Railways as the haulage provider and operator of the Scottishbased train in 2015. The luxury train made its first outing of 2021 on May 19-21.