<p>BRITISH freight train operators Freightliner and EWS have welcomed plans for a radical capacity review of Britain’s crowded rail network.</p> <p>Since rail privatisation in 1995 passenger numbers have risen by 30% and freight by 48% and there are more trains. </p> <p>An extra 21% train-km are now running on a national network hampered by timetables and procedures dating back decades.</p> <p>On top of that growth, 2000 saw the British Government unveil an ambitious 180bn (US$282bn) 10-year transport plan that promised a further 50% growth in passengers and 80% in freight by 2010.</p> <p>This was bad news for a creaking system plagued by accidents and suffering from a chronic lack of investment.</p> <p>Hence the Strategic Rail Authority decision to launch its belated review of how the network is performing, looking afresh at network timetabling, train lengths, speed and frequency.</p> <p>The SRA’s managing director of strategic planning, Jim Steer, declined last week to give guarantees that freight would have priority over passenger on track serving the leading box ports of Felixstowe and Southampton.</p> <p>He did say that "all the options would be considered" and that decisions would be made after assessing the environmental impacts of cancelled passenger or freight services in terms of extra truck or car journeys.</p> <p>Bob Goundry, director of strategy for Freightliner, the main mover of maritime containers in the United Kingdom, is not unduly worried.</p> <p>"It would be impossible for him [Mr Steer] to give such a guarantee on a mixed user railway and I would not expect him to," he said.</p> <p>Mr Goundry said the SRA’s desire to establish "repeating services" on key routes – regular core trains running a fixed timetable – could work to freight’s benefit.</p> <p>Allocating fixed freight slots during an hourly timetable, for example, would provide flexibility for ad hoc cargo trains to use unoccupied slots when necessary.</p> <p>Ad hoc freight trains will provide the backbone of "rapid response" services for hauling consumer goods, a key target area in the SRA’s bold growth plan.</p> <p>There appears to be plenty of "slack", or inefficient use of train slots, on the network, according to the SRA.</p> <p>It hopes to squeeze another 20% capacity, measured in passenger km, on certain trunk routes, mainly in and out of London.</p> <p>The choices for SRA will not be easy. Freightliner points out that an "all stations" passenger train trundling between London Euston and Milton Keynes occupies the same slot capacity as three box trains. </p> <p>It is hardly efficient use of capacity on a congested network, but is it enough of an argument to cancel the passenger train?</p> <p>Although eliminating timetable inefficiencies are a productive and cheaper starting point for the SRA to meet government targets, longer term success will depend on radical changes and investment.</p> <p>A mixed-user railway has to balance the track requirements of express long distance passenger trains, freight trains – not necessarily slow, slot eating monsters – and regional passenger services that seem to stop everywhere.</p> <p>The SRA will eventually establish "route utilisation strategies" resulting in restrictions placed on the type of locomotives and wagons, both passenger and freight, that can be used on each section of track.</p> <p>British rail freight operators have invested an estimated 1bn in new wagon and loco stock since privatisation, so the omens are good that they will not be shunted into the sidings.</p> <p>And, where that is a danger, the SRA says it will use appropriate grants to help the private sector purchase rolling stock.</p> <p>EWS, Britain’s largest rail freight operator by fleet and turnover, welcomed the SRA move and emphasised that it was already "assisting in better utilisation of the rail network through investment and development of higher speed services with greater payloads".</p> <p>The operator’s new generation of coal hopper wagons have 40% more capacity than their predecessors. </p> <p>"EWS is also introducing intermodal services that will operate at speeds of 145 km/h, similar to many passenger operations," it said.</p> <p>"Our class 67 locomotives, designed for mail and express parcel services, have been cleared for operation at 200 km/h."</p> <p>For those who doubt the preparedness of the freight operators, what is the most reliable service – passenger or freight – on the entire British rail network? </p> <p>It is the overnight parcels service for the Royal Mail, operated by EWS.</p> <br />