Rail freight needs should be condition of HS1 sale

The sale of High Speed 1 (HS1), announced this week by Government, should be an opportunity to promote rail freight on the route.

The present owners have been in no haste to accept new freight services, despite the infrastructure being suitable for freight and plentiful capacity being available at night time.

The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has long suspected that the root cause of this reluctance has been Government’s desire for a quick sale of the asset without the ‘complication’ of open access operators on the route.  Yet successful freight services can actually increase revenue for the infrastructure operator and make use of an expensive asset which is currently sitting idle between the first and last passenger service.

RFG chairman Tony Berkeley said: “Use of High Speed 1 presents a great opportunity for some cross-Channel freight flows and we know that there are many customers looking to use it as soon as possible.

“The sale process must not delay this further, and the new owners must be incentivised to grow freight services.  We also expect that the terms of sale will be fully compliant with all European legislation.”

For further information, visit: www.rfg.org.uk

Published: 02/07/2010