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Suspension is lifted on SRA rail-freight grants
Page 13
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• by Ricky Taylor
The suspension of rail-freight grants by the Strategic Rail Authority will be lifted by the end of the year, leaving the way open for operators to apply for a total of £40m of grants to transfer freight from road to rail.
The SRA announced it was suspending its Freight Facility Grants and Track Access Grants in January because it had already spent the .220m budget it held for each scheme (CM23-29 Jan).
The launch of a new scheme with altered criteria for applicants will be announced in the autumn, after budget levels have been agreed between the SRA and the government. Budgets similar to previous years are expected.
Changes to the calculation of
environmental benefits of transferring freight from road to rail are expected to be included in the new scheme. Following a scientific study into the environmental impact of trucks by the SRA, cost calculations will differ according to different stretches of road. Journeys on the M25 will be charged at 59p/mile, because of the congestion there, while less busy roads will be charged at a reduced rate. Currently calculations are
based on 20p/mile. These proposals have yet to be passed by the European Commission.
Another change likely to be introduced is that applications for grants will be prioritised by sector and traffic new to rail will be given priority over traditional rail-freight products. This is because the value of grant likely to be applied for will exceed next year's budget. This year the SRA sanctioned 26 new grants worth £17m.