BBC News | UK | £4bn boost for freight rail network

A £4bn plan to dramatically increase the amount of freight transported by rail, has been unveiled by the Strategic Rail Authority.

The SRA hopes to increase the amount carried by freight by at least 80% over the next 10 years.

The improvement plans include the creation of new freight tracks, the re-opening of abandoned lines, and the introduction of longer freight trains.

Sir Alastair Morton, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) said the plans would "put freight on an equal footing with passenger services and infrastructure development".

He said the plan was "a blueprint for 80% growth after half a century of decline in the public sector".

A blueprint for 80% growth after half a century of decline in the public sector

Sir Alastair Morton, chairman of the SRA

He said: "The strategy can put the railway at the heart of the logistics chain.

"The industry must take advantage of the opportunities this offers."

Routes

Main routes where line upgrades are planned include:

Lines from the ports of Felixstowe and Southampton to the West Midlands, the north west of England and Scotland
Routes around London
East Coast Main line from London and East Anglia to north east England

Longer 750-metre trains would allow an increase of 3,500 tonnes of bulk freight - with each train freeing the roads of around 60 lorries.

The SRA plan also identified a need for further rail freight terminals in south east England and the West Midlands.

About £600m of the £4bn involved is planned to come from the private sector.


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