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Rail wires on hold

[ June 26, 2015   //   ]

The rail industry was disappointed by the Secretary of State’s for Transport announcement on 25 June that some cherished projects, including the electrification of the Midland Main Line and Transpennine routes are to be “paused”.
While electrification per se will have little impact on freight movements – most of which would probably remain diesel operated even after electrification, at least in the short term, a spokesman for the Rail Freight Group (RFG) said that the “devil is in the detail” of the wider review of Network Rail’s entire investment strategy which will be carried out by its new chairman, Sir Peter Hendy.
Rail Freight Group (RFG) has called on Network Rail to ensure that rail freight enhancements are delivered on time and budget. Key projects for rail freight include the upgrade of routes to major ports including: Felixstowe, Southampton and Liverpool, to allow more goods to be moved by rail.
RFG executive director, Maggie Simpson, said: “It is regrettable that important projects are being deferred, many of which would have had long-term benefits for freight. Network Rail must now accelerate delivery of these strategic freight schemes, which will deliver real and immediate improvements for the freight operators and their customers.”

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