11 apply for sidings grant
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ELEVEN companies have applied to the Government for a grant towards the cost of providing private rail sidings so that they can transfer freight from road to rail. This was revealed last week by Mr Neil Carmichael, Under-Secretary of State at the DoE, when he opened a Lever Bros roadrail warehouse at Port Sunlight, Cheshire.
Mr Carmichael reaffirmed that it was Government policy to transfer freight to the railways and said that in all about 50 companies were discussing sidings schemes with British Rail or Freightliners.
He went on : "We recognise that the scope for transferring freight to rail is limited because the flexibility and doorto-door service offered by road haulage is essential for many purposes. It is also true that the railways already have the lion's share of the bulk traffic moving from private siding to private siding for which they are particularly suited.
Nevertheless, even if transfer to rail can never lead to a major overall reduction in the volume of road haulage, we do think there are important local benefits to be gained, and our new grants towards private sidings are particularly directed towards securing these local benefits."