Rail Reform: What It Means For Rail Freight

Rail freight makes a significant contribution to the UK economy and offers substantial environmental benefits, with modal shift reducing carbon emissions. The current rail reform agenda presents an opportunity to evolve existing industry structures and incentives to support rail freight growth. So how is the new legislative framework setting out to address these issues?

The Railways Bill (“Bill”) gives rail freight a more prominent place in legislation. It does so in two main ways: a dedicated freight growth target and a general duty to promote rail freight. The practical impact will, however, depend on how these are applied in day-to-day decisions by Great British Railways (“GBR”), the new public body that will run the railway, particularly on matters such as access to the network, charging and performance.