1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198 
Commons boost for rail freight
Page 17
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
HIGH-PROFILE Labour MP Robin Cook last week tabled an early day motion (EDM) in Parliament calling on the government to do all it can to boost rail freight.
This is in line with a campaign by the train drivers' union, Aslef, which was launched in parliament earlier this month. Aslet and Cook argue that a switch to rail freight would have environmental benefits: Cook's motion says: "Emissions from road freight transport rose by 59% between 1990 and 2002." while congestion -costs i.120bn per year".
By the time MPs started their summer holidays last week 47 had signed the EDM.
Aslef argues that as well as environmental benefits a switch to rail would mean more jobs in the rail business. General secretary Keith Norman says: "It is essential that the case for rail freight is understood by MPs and the government."
The Freight Transport Association broadly welcomed Cook's efforts. External affairs director Geoff Dossetter says: "It is essential that we maximise rail freight in order to ease congestion.., but there is a problem in that the rail system is as congested as the roads. And of course rail can never deliver door to door."
He adds that those who transport their goods by rail are "not buying a day return, they are buying a 20year season ticket, so they need to be sure they can get reliability".