T he rail freight industry collapsed almost overnight in 1991 when
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the Government pulled the plug on the wagon-loaded Speedlink freight system because it recorded losses almost equivalent to turnover. The dumping of Speedlink was just one more chapter in rail freight's history of disregard, decline and repeated failure—but a concerted effort is being made to revive what could be a sleeping giant.
The shadow Strategic Rail Authority (s SRA) believes it can exploit road haulage's shortcomings on fuel costs, weight restrictions and time with financial support for schemes to transfer long-distance transport from the road system to rail.
The authority has given L6m to three consortia involving companies with large distribution networks to help them develop technology to transfer part of their road haulage operations onto rail.
Innovative equipment
The sS RA competition was hatched to boost rail freight with innovative equipment, operational schemes, information and control systems, and re-designed supply chains. Chairman of the s SRA, Sir Alastair Morton, promises that the determination he showed in pushing through the Channel Tunnel pro ject will now be thrown into developing the railfreight sector.
Morton and his colleagues in the sS RA know that rail will not replace road transport, but they expect to make inroads by offering a viable alternative to companies with large-scale, long distance haulage operations. They aim to persuade potential customers that with the right technology rail-freight can help them save money and hone their competitive edge.