Strike sours rail hopes
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Efforts to attract more freight to the rail system will be severely set back by the threatened train drivers strike, according to the railfreight companies.
British Rail released its annual figures this week, but they were overshadowed by the strike threat.
Railfreight Distribution says: "A strike would be pretty grim, to say the least. We are just starting to persuade road hauliers and other customers to use rail more, but reliability is the key."
Accounts across the British Rail freight companies show that turnover and profits are general ly down on 1993/94, although direct comparisons are complicated by the changes in the structure of the railways.
Railfreight Distribution, which handles all movements through the Channel Tunnel and car distribution, has reduced its losses for the fourth year running. But it is still £60.9m in the red on a turnover of .£130.7m. More than 150 freight trains a week are now using the Chunnel.
The other railfreight companies—Loadhaul, Mainline, Transrail, Red Star and Rail Express—increased their aggregate profit to X59.4rn on a turnover of £645m.