GB Railfreight (GBRf) has called for the new dedicated rail freight ‘guiding mind’to push the case for recovery and growth in response to the structural changes to Britain’s railways announced on May 19.
The new position, which will oversee all British rail freight operations, was unveiled in the Williams-Shapps White Paper and will be part of the Great British Railways organisation led by Network Rail.
GBRf wants the‘freight evangelist’to commit to a fivepoint manifesto to ensure the sector can continue to grow and support the UK economy.
The five point plan calls for the holder of the new role to champion the economic value of rail freight so that it is on an equal footing with passenger traffic; to put decarbonisation at the heart of their plan for the sector; enforce a track access regime that is reliable and fair to allow operators to deliver growth; to deliver freight-specific investment such as electrification and improvements to critical infrastructure that unlocks freight capacity andtotakea national view, but also devolve powers over operations to the regions to ensure the smooth running of services across the country.