• Home
• Used vehicles
• Product news
• Dealer news
• Compliance
• Buying advice
• Archive

RAILWAYS PROPOSE LINER TRAIN ITO EUROPE

DR. BEECHING, chairman of British Railways Board, disclosed at a conference organized by the Export Council for Europe on Monday that nlans were in hand, whether or not a Channel Tunnel was built, to extend liner train services to major terminals on the Continent. Together with two fellow members of the Railways Board and representatives of two road operators, Dr. Beeching was answering questions put by a group of transport users headed by Sir Leslie Rowan, managing director of Vickers Ltd.

The two-day conference was opened by Sir William McFadzean, chairman of the Council, who said that the Council believed Britain's future place in European markets might be conditioned as much by her transport arrangements as by any other factor.

How applicable was the word " planning-", Sir William asked. Whilst we had probably all passed the stage when planning was a dirty word there was still a wide difference of opinion as to its method. Consideration could now usefully be given to questions as to how far economic viability of a transport system should be the sole criterion of its providers or when, and on what grounds of social and other purposes, uneconomic operation should be accepted. To what extent should users have the right to choose between different transport services, or could co-ordination or integration convey justifiable benefit?

It was on these questions that the differing aspects of market research, operational planning and technical planning applied. The study of the movement of goods and its flow pattern both as to quantity and timing applied to all branches of transport and, if such a study could be made in combination with industry, it must surely offer great possibi lilies.

Two Panels

The first session of the conference consisted of two panels—the transport providers' panel, under the leadership of Dr. Beeching and including Mr. H. W. Elliott, managing director of B.R.S. (Pickfords) Ltd., and Mr. J. A. Murly, chairman of Continental Ferry Trailers; and the users' panel which included Mr. E. G. Whitaker, transport adviser to Unilever Ltd., Ind Mr. A. R. B. Poison, traffic manager of C. A. Parsons and Co. Ltd.

Sir Leslie Rowan, stating that cost, safety and prompt delivery would be the main theme of questions put by the users of transport, said that users could hot hope to have the best system unless there was a partnership between user and provider. He asked whether the providers, especially Dr. Beeching, had anything to say on the studies of freight movement.

Dr. Beeching said that the effective use of any transport system must depend upon collaboration. This was particularly so with the more complicated systems which involved fixed capital investments and systems which had many links in them—and this would apply to most of the links with Europe and between Europe and the United Kingdom. "There is no question that the c30

most important and most solid help you co.n give us is the best possible forecast of future requirements ", he added. "We are thinking about reshaping the transport system into Europe, and this can only be based on a clear knowledge of that requirement.

Mr. Elliott pointed out that the great bulk of export traffic was going "road haulage-wise ", and hauliers could cope with any development as far as land ports in the U.K. were concerned. The important feature was to get improvements in other facets such as port facilities and roads, which would help either to reduce costs or at least keep them down.

Information on future flows of traffic was of immense value to hauliers in their forward thinking particularly when specialized types of vehicles were required. A tunnel would give hauliers "something to think about" and give them a deeper interest.

Mr. Elliott said that hauliers were " desperately waiting" for new width and dimension regulations, which were holding up all sorts of development both among British hauliers and their Continental associates. Nobody wanted to put capital into equipment which might be out of date when the regulations eventually came into force.

Railways' Proposals

Asked to elaborate on the Railways' proposals to run liner trains to terminals within the Continent, Mr. J. MacNaughton Sidey, chairman of the Eastern Railway Board, said that if a tunnel was built it would have a major effect on costing. As presently planned it would reduce costs across the Channel by about half. Perishables, instead of taking 2+ days to reach Italy. Switzerland, etc., would reach destinations in 26 to 28 hours. But the railways could not wait until there was a tunnel and they aimed to operate liner trains into Europe "in some other way" which had not yet been decided but which would follow the lines of those envisaged in this country. They had planned services to six terminals in Europe which included Basle, for instance, which would lead to a speedy onward transmission of freight to Milan. They planned to cover all the main industrial centres of Europe in this way.

Mr. Murly said the difference between the metric system and our own measuring standards placed British• hauliers at a disadvantage. The present limits on Construction and Use were not sufficient by 1963 standards, and they would not be sufficient by 1973 standards. An unfortunate factor with regard to container traffic was the length, gross weight and weight over the axles allowed.

When Mr. Murly criticized manufacturers for dispatching goods to ports at the last moment before the closing date of the vessel, Mr. Whitaker suggested that demurrage should be charged. "If road transport or the railways charged for demurrage as we incurred it, we would very quickly put our houses in order."

Community Quotas

Asked by a delegate Mr. J. A. McMullen (chairman of the traffic committee of the Association of British Chemical Manufacturers) how Community quotas for international road haulage would affect British operators, Mr. Murly said this was a question which was being considered now. Quotas had been suggested for each of the six E.E.C. members but a system for licensing "third party" countries had not been decided. "We might find ourselves in an invidious position unless we have some ties now in the form of bilateral quotas with individual members."

It seemed, he continued, that the member country through which a haulier decided to enter the Continent—i.e., Holland, via Rotterdam, or Belgium via Antwerp—might have to use part of its Community quota to admit the British vehicles. "They would not be willing to do that ", continued Mr. Murly. "It was essential that the Government should consider instituting talks on bilateral quotas with the individual members of the Community ", he concluded.

Mr. W. J. Sharp, an assistant secretary, Ministry of Transport, told the conference that the Ministry was in fact considering this question at the moment. The quota was very small in the six countries and most of the international haulage between the Six would continue to be done by means of bilateral arrangements between each of them. The question was: should we initiate bilateral agreements between ourselves and each of the Six? It would be a long time before there could be any sort of multilateral arrangement under which hauliers from the U.K. could "tour round" the Six in general.

When the Minister of Transport addressed the conference dinner in London on Monday evening he stressed thai transport was a surprisingly large item in a product's final costs—around 10 per

cent of total production costs. In 1963 Britain hoped to export to Europe about £1,700 m. worth of goods, he said, so this might well include £170m. far inland transport costs. By modernizing our transport system we could reduce this figure, and thus make a contribution to exports, On the Channel link, Mr. Marples said the Government's study would soon be completed, and would be followed by an exchange of views with the French. "A decision can only be reached on a bilateral basis. Neither Britain nor France can act alone. So I cannot forecast the eventual decision."

The Minister said that over the past 12 years there had been a complete revolution in thinking about Government participation in European transport affairs, and now, although the Common Market negotiations had broken down, he had most effective regular meetings with his opposite numbers in Europe and " our efforts to co-ordinate transport policy in Europe are harmonious and successful ".

The second day of the conference consisted of three sessions devoted to ports and customs; sea transport; and air, airports and customs.

Facing the same panel of transport users in the ports and customs session was Viscount Rochdale (chairman of the National Ports Council), Sir Andrew richtort (chairman of the National Association of Port Employers and man4,ing director of P. & 0. Steam Navi;ation Co.). Mr. C. A. Dove (general manager of the Mersey Docks and Elrarbour Board), Mr. S. A. Finnis (British Transport Docks Board), Mr. Dudley ?erkins (general manager designate of the 'ort of London Authority), Mr. T. )'Leary (national secretary of the docks group. T.G.W.U.), and two assistant ;ecretaries of H.M. Customs and Excise.

3ock Delays

Criticizing delays when vehicles arc ent to unload at docks, Sir Leslie Rowan aid: We find that the greatest port of ill, London, is the one which we find the vorst and, I may add, the most expenive." If Dr. Beeching's plans for nternai liner trains were as good as he nvisaged. was there not a danger that he development would be frustrated ,ecause of the position at the port? If here was a danger, what action could be 3ken to prevent this happening?

Replying, Viscount Rochdale said that le proposal for liner trains was very ttractive. The whole concept brought ut it point which was of tremendous riportance, especially when Dr. Beeching ad pointed out that the system was (ling to • be built upon certain selected orts throughout the country. The Rochdale Committee had put a lot of stress upon this matter from early in their deliberations. They had come to the conclusion that, if ports were to be improved, a great effort had to be devoted to certain selected major ports, though he emphasized that there was still a need for the smaller ports.

Dealing with the major ports, where, he said, major investment should be devoted, Viscount Rochdale said that two further points were the _absolute necessity that any planning should be a co-operative effort by all concerned with transport, whether road or rail, shipping interests, ports and the users; and that it was absolutely essential to have adequate information for costing and market research, or anything which would enable a national plan for ports to ise constructed.

There could not be a national plan, however, unless there was some body to incorporate it, and this was the reason why Mr. Marples had set up the National Ports Council. Liner trains seemed to fit in admirably with the ,idea of a national port plan, he added.

Defending the Port of London Authority, Mr, Perkins said that ship owners had to carry a certain amount of responsibility, as did the export mannf act urers.

There could be no "reserving of seats " in the hold of a ship so far as freight was concerned. Users had to be intelligent and arrive early for a place. According to the statistics taken on the loading of one vessel, only two per cent of the vehicles which ultimately came arrived on the first day of loading. On the next day, seven per cent arrived, and on the third day, three per cent, and so on. On the closing day, 27 per cent arrived, and it was significant to note that after the doors of the hold had been shut, 10 per cent arrived. "What a fantastic piece of mismanagement, lack of control and foresight this was on the part of die manufacturers who were anxious to get their goods abroad ", Mr. Perkins suggested. "What on earth can a port authority do with this sort of inefficiency. We provide the services and the users will not use them."

Dealing with rollsoniroll-off services (those operated by Transport Ferry Service), Mr. Perkins said that some enterprising person had spotted the commercial potentialities of the service, and had asked P.L.A. what could be done. The result was the successful services from Tilbury to the Continent which this year would handle about 200,000 tons of commercial traffic—far more than a conventional berth could possibly handle. Port authorities were always receptive to ideas and would listen to users and providers of transport. If the users could control the flow of goods, then a lot of the delays would disappear and costs would become an insignificant factor.

Central Clearance ?

Another body receptive to any ideas which would reduce delays and costs was H.M. Customs, said Mr. H. F. Hewett, of the Customs and Excise. They already operated a 24-hour service so far as clearance and documentation was concerned. But they were not satisfied with this and had for some time been carrying out a "very intensive" organization-andmethods review of the whole procedure. Any suggestions to speed up examination would be sympathetically looked at.

Asked if there was any possibility of clearing goods at a central terminal or at customers' warehouses, Mr. Hewett said that whilst this had been achieved by British Railways at Manchester, road interests had not yet made any suggestions. He could see certain difficulties— vehicles having to run about the country sealed, etc. He agreed there was a special case where goods were containerized.

Users Want Unity

Summing up the Conference, Sir Norman Kipping (director general of the Federation of British Industries) said that it looked as though the other providers of transport—and he included among these road hauliers, dock authorities and shipping companies—were hoping to cash in on the results of Dr. Beeching's studies, hut not to initiate their own.

Dr. Beeching's case—that unless users bestirred themselves and helped him with their forecasting, etc., they could not expect him to provide streamEned, cheaper services—made a lot of sense but, he continued, users would like to do business with some entity which linked together all the elements of the transport providers. There was not enough evidence that they (the providers) were , yet seeing their combined applications as a part of an integrated whole.

Some sort of research organization not concerned with the technicalities of handling freight, but with market and cost studies and integrated work of that kind, was necessary, but, Sir Norman asked, who would be the first to set up such a body—which sounded like a computerized Baltic Exchange?

The Conference, he continued, had been about modernizing a section of the national force responsible for about eight per cent of the gross national product. It had also been about adapting and integrating services traditionally sovereign and independent.

"Will it lead to action by the Government? I cannot answer. For the rest of us I haven't a shadow of doubt that it will," he said.