UK: The Rail Freight Group has condemned the government’s decision to truncate High Speed 2 in the West Midlands, describing it as ‘the worst possible outcome for rail freight’.
RFG Director General Maggie Simpson said ‘scrapping HS2 whilst still allowing its trains to run on the existing network is the worst of all possible decisions. The West Coast Main Line simply does not have the capacity for these extra trains alongside current services and rail freight growth, and investment will now be required to upgrade the route to ensure all trains can be accommodated.’
RFG said the freight sector has invested heavily in strategic interchanges, construction terminals and rolling stock to support growth, expecting that capacity for freight services would be available. It said allowing HS2 trains to operate on already congested parts of the network is ’a blow to those investors and to all those who want to see fewer HGVs on the nation’s roads’.
However, RFG was pleased with the government’s commitment to rebuilding the Ely junction, which would create ‘much-needed new capacity’ for freight in East Anglia.
