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Construction traffic a key factor for freight growth plan

GB Railfreight 69007 passes Silt Drove (March) with the 0816 March Yard-Middleton Towers sand train on March 27. This was the first day GBRf entrusted a Class 69 with this work, hence having 66789 tucked inside as insurance. Network Rail has targets to grow freight use and is continuing to apply dispensations to allow heavy axle load traffic to run.

Network Rail will focus on heavy axle loads to support its delivery of an overall 7.5% increase in freight over the five years of Control Period 7, measured by a combination of load weight and distance carried.

Plans vary by NR Region. Wales and West plans renewals at Pont Mills viaduct in Cornwall and Clare Road bridge in South Wales, to address heavy axle load restrictions.

At the other end of the freight market, Wales and West says it will assess the capabilities of Bristol Temple Meads, London Paddington and Cardiff Central to handle express freight.

Eastern is looking to improve its line to Sizewell to capture traffic serving the construction of a nuclear power station.

It says it will continue work on plans to remove Ely’s bottleneck, although such enhancements sit outside NR’s five-yearly funding cycle and will need separate authorisation from the Department for Transport.

North West and Central is looking towards the opening of three container terminals - Four Ashes (between Wolverhampton and Stafford), Northampton Gateway (expected to open in late 2024), and DIRFT III (near Daventry and expected to open this summer).

A full version of this story complete appears in issue 1007 of RAIL. Get your copy delivered to your letterbox or inbox.



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