Commenting on ORR’s latest freight usage stats, Rail Partners chief executive, Andy Bagnall, said: ‘It is promising to see that freight volumes have continued to recover in the last quarter and Network Rail’s new access charge discount scheme is benefiting freight operators introducing new flows. This shows the positive impact on rail freight growth that can be achieved when public and private sectors work together.
‘With rail costs rising three times faster than road, government needs to go further to create a more favourable environment for rail freight. This includes measures to address the widening cost gap between rail and road, as well as long-term access rights and a stable charging regime.
‘Freight operating companies want to invest in the UK and work with government to make rail more competitive, to help decarbonise the transport sector and reduce congestion on roads.’
- ORR’s latest freight rail usage and performance statistics were published today (13 March): https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/q1il1ksz/freight-rail-usage-and-performance-oct-dec-2024.pdf
- Rail Partners hosted the Rail Freight Parliamentary Reception on 11 March in the House of Commons with speeches from Labour’s Rail Minister, plus Conservative and Liberal Democrat transport spokespeople. Please see further details here: https://railpartners.co.uk/latest/events/freight-parliamentary-reception-2025
- Rail Partners recently commissioned new research delivered by Steer to understand how road and rail freight costs have changed since 2015. The report, A Greener Track: Making rail freight cost effective, is available online here: https://www.railpartners.co.uk/our-work/publications/a-greener-track-making-rail-freight-cost-effective
- Rail Partners also produced a freight report in March 2024 – Freight Britain – calling for government measures to help shift freight from road to rail. See further details here: https://www.railpartners.co.uk/our-work/publications/freight-britain
