NCL freight blow for railways
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NATIONAL Carriers—until 1968 part of British Rail—is to switch parcels and freight from the railways to road transport.
But an NCL spokesman this week denied that the move would bring the rail freight system to the point of collapse.
"The percentage of their losses that would be due to the switch is chicken feed," said the spokesman, " If they carried Elm for us Last year I'd be surprised," he said.
He admitted that reports of the switch were true: " Over the months we have been cutting our rail business. We are in business to provide a service to the customer at the right price and BR charges are not in line with our rates."
Airport tariff
He said that trains were a good form of transport when being used to capacity, "but with declining trade the cost of using a train per unit is high," he said.
But NCL denied that they were not abiding by the 1968 Transport Act which set up the present system of State-owned freight transport.
"We are still abiding by the Act—it specifically states that railways should be used where economically viable," said the spokesman.
Copies of a confidential memo to NCL's area managers have reached rail union chiefs. Already two of the company's key bases, at Bristol and Sheffield, have been converted from rail to road traffic and more are expected to follow.