Rail Freight Group sets out ambitions ahead of general election

Rail Freight Group (RFG) has launched a new manifesto, which is aimed at highlighting the rail industry’s role in transporting essential goods throughout the country.

Titled ‘Delivered by Rail Freight’, the manifesto and campaign has garnered cross-industry support including the country’s three largest freight operators, GB Railfreight, DB Cargo and Freightliner.

The group has outlined wide-ranging pledges in the manifesto, including encouraging and enabling new businesses to utilise rail freight to move their goods, investment across the industry in state-of-the-art facilities and harnessing data technology. RFG is also pledging to publish a roadmap to decarbonisation as well as reducing CO2 emissions by adopting more alternative fuels.

It is also urging the incoming government to show ambition for growing rail freight and commit to investment in its infrastructure including funding 60 miles of missing electrification on the network which could help electrify over two million freight trains annually.

Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of RFG, said: "Rail freight benefits everyone, whether it's turning on the lights, shopping, or enjoying a glass of wine. Expanding rail freight across the nation will facilitate the transition of essential goods to rail, bolstering both the economy and the environment.”

It is also asking the new incoming government to commit to capacity improvements, including the committing to building the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement by 2030 and introducing five trains per hour to the West Coast Mainline by 2035. It has also set its sights on track charges, calling on the government to reduce them by 20% in real terms by end of the decade.

Simpson added, “The rail freight sector is committed to growth and is investing in facilities, equipment, technology, people and skills. We are calling on the incoming government to match this ambition through interventions that can help rail freight to thrive.”