Rail Partners has revealed the policy needed to achieve ambitious targets with an increase in rail freight over the coming decades.
Rail Partners are the trade body which represents independent passenger and freight operating companies and has now responded to the Great British Railways Transition Team’s call for evidence with regards to freight growth and has revealed that in order to meet ambitious targets, trebling rail freight would be necessary whilst aiding the move to net-zero.
Rail Partners have based their findings on the economic contribution of rail freight today and have found that by increasing it three-fold would create the necessary contribution to UK plc of approximately £7.5 billion each year. The increase would also support the rebalancing of the economy as 90% of the economic benefits would take place outside of London and the South-East.Â
The proposed Great British Railways (GBR) has overseen the targets and will give freight operators, customers and third parties confidence to move forward with substantial investment in infrastructure in order to enable the required freight growth. The implementation of the trebling of rail freight by 2050 will be supported by short-term targets which are in line with Great British Railway’s five-year funding cycles.
Rail Partners Chief Executive, Andy Bagnall, said: ‘The demand for rail freight is already here today as customers increasingly look towards rail as a sustainable, cost-effective, and reliable way to get their goods to market.
‘Setting an ambitious growth target is key, supported by a wider policy framework to shift freight off the roads and onto the rails.
‘Rail freight plays a critical role in the journey to net zero. It removes seven million heavy goods vehicles from the roads each year, saving 1.4 million tonnes of  carbon.’
As the largest carbon-emitting sector within the UK economy, it is vital that measures be put in place to reduce emissions in order for the country to meet its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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