Freight Network Study

[plcd1]

Network Rail have released a new Freight Network Study for consultation.

Freight Network Study

Choices for funders
The Freight Network Study considers the future development of rail freight in Great Britain, and outlines what the industry considers to be the future priorities for enhancing the network.

It has been developed by Network Rail in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, including the freight operating companies, The UK Governments, the Rail Freight Group, the Rail Delivery Group, and the Office of Rail and Road.

The Freight Network Study considers the next 30 years and identifies a number of constraints to delivering the forecast growth anticipated on the network. A range of choices are identified to address these constraints and increase the capacity and capability of the infrastructure to enable it to support the growth of rail freight in the UK.

Freight Network Study - Draft for Consultation (9.92 MB)

Freight Network Study - Summary document (2.07 MB)

Have your say
If you would like to comment on the Freight Network Study Draft for Consultation, please email [email protected]

All consultation responses must be received by 9th November 2016 when the consultation period closes.

I'm not a great expert on freight matters but a few interesting bits and bobs in the London area with a continued reliance on the Barking - Gospel Oak and NLL routes. Also a possible Pitsea - Ingatestone new link for the Thames ports to be "worked up".

 

[mrmartin]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

 

[GB]

Very short sighted.

 

[HowardGWR]

Very short sighted.

??? To what are you referring? Another post or the report or what?

 

[GB]

Sorry, the post above mine.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

Lots of these trains run at specific times at request of customers to help keep our logistics network running!

What you are saying is all when and good but could be summarised as, i want goods at my fingertips 24/7 with fast deliveries as cheap as possible, but only if they travel at night.....

What really needs to happen rather than your idea is that money needs to be literally thrown at the cross country route via Ely including electrification etc.

 

[Harbornite]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

Quite an unusual stance for someone who has an interest in railways. Are you seriously suggesting reducing the volume of rail freight to appease commuters? Never mind congestion or the increase in road accidents and pollution that this could result in :roll:.

 

[LAX54]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

A few dozen ? you are having a laugh, a few dozen per train maybe !
the LAST thing we need are hundreds more lorries on the road, if anyhting it needs to be the other way round, get more traffic off the roads onto rail.

Like where it says further doubling of the Felixstowe Line

 

[DarloRich]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

that's a fairly silly statement frankly.

 

[LAX54]

that's a fairly silly statement frankly.

.........Fairly...... ? !

 

[Harbornite]

Arguably one of the most important paragraphs is this...

Total
volumes increased by over 65% from 13 billion net tonne kilometres
in 1995/96 to over 22 billion in 2014/15. In 2015/16 volumes fell by
about 20%, primarily due to a decline in coal traffic to power
stations, but 2015/16 total volumes are still over 30% above
1995/96 levels2. It has been estimated that in 2013/14 rail freight
delivered productivity, congestion and environmental benefits
totalling over £1.6 billion per year to the British economy3

It just goes to show that the loss of speedlink and other small wagonload flows wasn't that much of a big deal. The 20% drop due to the loss of coal traffic is concerning but that's tough titty and the FOCs will have to ride it out, make themselves more competitive and get more freight contracts. It's obvious, really.

 

[Lankyline]

I read a quick summary of this and some of the points that caught my eye were potential quad tracking north of Preston, dynamic loops from around Grayrigg over Shap, speed improvements above 75mph, as I said it was only a quick look

 

[The Planner]

Same ideas for "freight north of Preston" that have been knocking about for a decade or more then.

 

[najaB]

Same ideas for "freight north of Preston" that have been knocking about for a decade or more then.

Hopefully they'll implement some of it now while investment in the railway is seen as 'good politics'.

 

[Bald Rick]

Ugh. I really wish they would remove freight off the NLL. It is such a bad use of a line when trains are absolutely packed and you see a freight train trundling through with a bunch of containers, going to nowhere near London.

If NR can't figure a way not to use inner London railways to move it, I wish they would actually move those paths to road based shipping or move it overnight. Instead of having 1,000s of people sardined we'd have a few dozen more lorries on the road. Such a bad priority.

They also cause mayhem often at Stratford with short notice platform changes for customers as they join/leave the NLL.

Alternatively, a really bad use of the line is running 100m long passenger trains, when almost every other main line in London can operate trains more than twice as long.

And, incidentally, the line is very busy overnight with freight trains.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What really needs to happen rather than your idea is that money needs to be literally thrown at the cross country route via Ely including electrification etc.

Which would shift, at best, about a third of the non-passenger trains off the NLL.

 

[WatcherZero]

Transport for the North Freight Strategy published. Seems to have good synergy with Network Rails recent draft Freight strategy too.

http://www.transportforthenorth.com/pdfs/TfN-Freight-and-Logistics-Report-Technical-Appendices.pdf

http://www.transportforthenorth.com/pdfs/TfN-Freight-and-Logistics-Report.pdf

Generally what road and rail projects already being progressed, like NR they think freight loops should be extended to 750m and transpennine routes gauge cleared W10/W12 though they further suggest 1500m tp loops. They also think freight paths should be expanded to 5 biway north of Wigan, 11 between Wigan and Crewe and 12 south of Crewe per hour. They also anticipate freight trains will get 20% longer and 20% more freight paths per week will be filled in 20 years time. They also want removal of rail freight subsidy as they think it unfairly favours the South.

The road-rail transpennine freight yards from the early strategy last year are still in but diluted with a focus on a strategic multi-modal network of a dozen or more in the North (about 50 nationally) at key water/air/rail/road interchanges.

Also floats the idea of reopening Midland Main Line from Matlock to Peak Forest Junction via Millers Dale for aggregates trains from the quarry which would also provide scope for improving passenger services on Hope Valley Line.



Also read through the Network Rail one several days ago. The suggested interventions

15 Interventions between Wigan and Preston, four-tracking from Springs Branch Junction to Euxton Junction, additional terminating platform
capacity at Wigan, grade separation of Euxton Junction, six-tracking from Farrington Curve Junction to Preston, additional platform
capacity at Preston, realign Preston throat so that flows split between Blackpools, freight and long distance. The intervention supports a
number of additional passenger services running in the area as well as 3 additional freight services. (Long Term)

17 West Coast Main Line journey time and speed consistency, including line speed improvements on slow lines at Wigan, Warrington and
Northampton. (Medium term)

Get whole hearted support from me, there also seems to be a hint in there that HS2 while rejoining the WCML alignment south of Wigan would be grade separated from the other WCML lines until leaving Wigan Northwestern northwards.