FTA concerned over ORR track charges proposal

Responding to the announcement by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) regarding its decision of the change to track access charges for 2014-2019, the FTA has said that “there is still the need for better understanding of the rail freight market and the expectations of existing and potential new customers”, and believes that the ORR's final determination which will increase freight rates by 21 per cent over the control period, four per cent per year will be a major set-back for promoting future growth for th
November 1, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Responding to the announcement by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) regarding its decision of the change to track access charges for 2014-2019, the FTA has said that “there is still the need for better understanding of the rail freight market and the expectations of existing and potential new customers”, and believes that the ORR's final determination which will increase freight rates by 21 per cent over the control period, four per cent per year will be a major set-back for promoting future growth for the sector if this is passed through in full to end users”.

Previously FTA had voiced its concerns to the ORR over the proposed higher track access charges stating that this could lead to intermodal and retail traffic being pushed back off rail and onto roads.

In reply the ORR appears to have listened and responded to the Association’s and industry’s serious concerns which were expressed during the consultation process, and capped the proposed increases below that initially intended, thereby reducing the impact of the new charging regime.

Chris MacRae, FTA rail freight policy manager, said: ““FTA is pleased that ORR appears to have listened to our concerns regarding the impact the proposed charges could have on the freight industry, but it cannot be assumed that existing traffic will simply stay on rail.”

Related Content

  • FTA urges government to rethink Clean air Zones
    December 21, 2015
    The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) says exempting cars from the proposed Clean Air Zones in five English cities is a missed opportunity to significantly improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby would be required to introduce Clean Air Zones to reduce concentrations of nitrogen dioxide by 2020 at the latest.
    Read More
  • Changing driving conditions need ongoing driver training
    January 23, 2012
    Trevor Ellis, chairman of the ITS UK Enforcement Interest Group, considers the role of ongoing driver training in increasing compliance. It is over 30 years since I passed my driving test. The world was quite a different place then, in that there were only half the vehicles there are now on the UK's roads, mobile phones did not really exist and (in the UK at least) the vast majority of us drove cars which by today's standards exhibited dreadful dynamic stability and were woefully underpowered.
    Read More
  • FTA concerns addressed in Government response on all-lane running
    December 14, 2016
    The UK Freight Transport Association (FTA) is pleased its concerns about management and signalling on smart motorways have been addressed in the Government’s response to a Transport Select Committee report published this week. FTA raised its concerns with Highways England on Red X compliance and proper management of the signal systems on smart motorways. The Government has responded to the Transport Select Committee’s report on all-lane running, highlighting these concerns. Smart motorways use tech
    Read More
  • Debating the future development of ANPR
    July 31, 2012
    What future is there for automatic number plate recognition? Will it be supplanted by electronic vehicle identification, or will continuing development maintain the technology's relevance? In recent years, digitisation and IP-based communication networks have allowed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to achieve ever-greater utility and a commensurate increase in deployments. But where does the technology go next - indeed, does it have a future in the face of the increasing use of, for instance, Dedi
    Read More

Highlighted Content