Road-Rail Co-operation Agreed
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BY H. BRIAN COTTEE
ROAD hauliers and the• railways are I Ns 'going to work together as a matter of policy. This was made clear by a joint statement issued on Wednesday after a top-level meeting between representatives of British Railways, British Road Services and Road Haulage Association.
Representing British Railways Board at the meeting, which was held at B.R. headquarters in London, were Dr Richard Beeching, chairman, and Mr. L. H. Williams, while Mr. T. G. Gibb, chairman and general manager of 13.R.S., was accompanied by Mr. H. Elliott, board member and chief traffic manager; the R.H.A. was represented by Mr. D. 0. Good, national chairman, and Mr. G. K. Newman, secretary general.
The joint statement said that the discussions were held between the railways and road haulage leaders with the object of achieving closer co-operation among public freight carriers. Agreement was reached on the procedure by which the policy of co-operation will be pursued and .a number of subjects were discussed for future consideration, including Liner Trains and livestock services.
In a sense, this new phase of co-operation is the culmination of a relationship which goes back to the "Square Deal' campaign of pre-war days and which, although disrupted by nationalization, has continued at the level of the roadrail committees. B.R.S. and the R.H.A. have had some joint consultation since the late '40s, chiefly on licensing.
But this. week's step forward in roadrail relationships stems more directly from a meeting on December 6 last year between Dr. Beeching •and Mr. Good and Mr. Newman, a friendly and informal meeting which encouraged the R.H.A. to think that a more formal meeting Might well be fruitful.
One of the R.H.A.'s chief hopes is that voluntary development of real co-operation between the three parties will finally remove all excuse for Government intervention in goods transport arrangements, especially the possibility of nationalization under a new government. And it is widely believed that, wharever Socialist plans to the contrary may be, B.R.S. itself has no desire to expand from its present level of about 16,000 vehicles.