NR taking over marshalling yards

[IKBrunel]

In the transport select committee recently, freight came up, Higgins mentioned the need to invest in the wider freight network and that NR are looking at taking over (part of) the freight yards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03zj4ll/Select_Committees_High_Speed_Rail_Committee/
@46.06
Is this still on the cards, I thought after the consultation it had been killed off, possibly for political reasons as it would have required payments to DBS etc, who originally got the yards for a peppercorn.

 

[RichmondCommu]

In the transport select committee recently, freight came up, Higgins mentioned the need to invest in the wider freight network and that NR are looking at taking over (part of) the freight yards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03zj4ll/Select_Committees_High_Speed_Rail_Committee/
@46.06
Is this still on the cards, I thought after the consultation it had been killed off, possibly for political reasons as it would have required payments to DBS etc, who originally got the yards for a peppercorn.

The thing is the only the freight traffic in this country that is going to see any growth is Intermodal which is very rarely split mid journey. Places like Washwood Heath in Birmingham have closed because there is simply no use for them.

What we need to do is try and get more out of our existing freight terminals. A freight terminal opened up at Castle Donnington between Stenson Junction and Sheet Stores Junction and yet it has seen no freight traffic what so ever. Marks & Spencer were reportedly interested but nothing ever came of it.

The terminal at Blackburn has closed without any prospect of it reopening. We keep banging on about getting freight off the motorways but travel along our motorways and it is clear that nothing has changed. Cruising along at 80 mph; forget it!

 

[The Planner]

Washwood Heath has a substantial operational use but would require DB to man it as it is under their lease, therefore it sits empty whereas it could be utilised for run rounds etc...

 

[YorkshireBear]

The freight yards are not used as only DBS can use them, they charge other FOCs uneconomically high figures to use. Hence NR taking some back. NR first attempt to get all back failed as it was too much. They are repeating the process but in a smaller way to get the strategic ones back.

 

[HowardGWR]

We keep banging on about getting freight off the motorways but travel along our motorways and it is clear that nothing has changed.

It should be remembered that the motorways were designed, essentially, to take freight off the railways, although that was not initially acknowledged! Later the reasons for their existence were enhanced to taking heavy goods vehicles off the A roads, which indeed they do. Not for the last part of the trip though, in the case of distribution traffic, (supermarkets, etc) do they succeed in that. Our local roads, as a result, have to cope with ever-increasing sizes of HGVs. I think rail obtains as good share as could be expected, unless the argument about carbon savings becomes more pertinent to decision makers, and I would not hold breath for that one. One still has to deal with distribution traffic issues and there are not many retail outlets that have a private siding nestled at the rear. Just count up how many HGVs are carrying retail distribution traffic the next time you sail past them on the motorway.

 

[edwin_m]

It's very unlikely we will see rail distribution to individual supermarkets but the flows between the distribution centres could be long and heavy enough to justify going by train, as we see with Tesco and Asda.

Each distribution centre consolidates loads for the supermarkets in its own area, but is also the sole delivery point for producers and importers in that area. Most of this latter traffic is forwarded in bulk to other distribution centres on its way to supermarkets in other parts of the country.

Incidentally Freightliner marshals portions of trains at Basford Hall, but I'm not aware of any other intermodal operator doing so.