lauliers cast aside
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aren Miles
HOUGH coal hauliers ed cheaper and more re: in the pit strike than rail tid British Rail's freight ations lost £280m last — hauliers are still set to )andoned.
itish Rail and its major customer, the Central tricity Generating Board, hammering out a review heir long term contract :h runs for another five s.
he discussion goes on ast the knowledge that iers moved coal during strike for up to 30 per t less than rail, and cism from the Monopoand Mergers Commission it BR's and the CEGS's ;-term agreement.
oad greatly increased its in coal movement when the rail unions largely refused to carry it in a show of support for the miners.
Since the end of the strike lorries have carried extra deliveries between pit heads and the power stations.
But these journeys are a left-over of the 12-month dispute, and will vanish as the stocks are built up again.
Despite the negotiations little is expected to change for road, as it falls back to run its usual 12 per cent share of the CEGB's 80m tonne annual need for coal. Rail will keep to its 75 per cent share, too.
The reason is that a larger road operation would cause uproar among residents because of the sheer volume of coal movement. And a large CEGB/BR investment programme on the power station sidings could not be abandoned lightly. • The Central Electricity Generating Board is to be quizzed over why Durham
road hauliers are not being allowed to tender for
contracts to move Durham coal to Yorkshire power stations.
Labour MPs Giles Radice and Tony Blair are seeking an urgent meeting with the board for an explanation.
Until now, Durham road hauliers R and A Young and Seymour have been under contract to move both coal from sites at Buckhead and Tanners Hall.
But now the CFGB has decided to transport the coal directly from the sites down to Yorkshire. It is believed that most of the work has been awarded to one Yorkshire haulier.