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New £Y2m rail bait
ROAD HAULAGE could lose an estimated annual 5% mil lion tons of freight to rail as the result of subsidies for firms building their own rail sidings.
Transport Minister William Rodgers has just announced grants totalling £579,000.
And he commented: "I am delighted to announce this further good news for the railways."
But 'Road Haulage Association international group se cretary Bob Duffy told CM: "There is no evidence to show that there is, or might be, any movement away from the roads – in fact, it is more likely to be the other way."
For hauliers this will confirm their belief that the Minister is biased against road transport. Earlier this year, he told MPs that steps had been taken to push freight away from the roads.
Mr Rodgers says the new grants will have environmen tal benefits to residents in areas including the West Midlands and the Home Counties.
So far, the Government has approved 35 schemes for rail sidings and improvements with a total cost of £6.6 million that will take potential traffic away from hauliers and on to the railways. Leyland is one of the major beneficiaries with a £253,000 grant towards a £506,000 rail siding.