PTA takes the rail way
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• The Freight Transport Association is to set up a clearing house for rail freight.
The move has been prompted by the imminent closure of the Speedlink network and complaints by its users that Railfreight Distribution has been doing little to get customers working together.
More than 200 FTA members who currently buy rail freight services are to be canvassed to see if they have capacity, or space requirements, which could be matched with other rail users.
A new operation run by Tiger Rail has already picked up some former Speedlink traffic: now it plans to run services from Cornwall to Glasgow and from Willesden to Salisbury. A few Speedlink customers have also negotiated a temporary continuation of services from Railfreight, after the closure of the Speedlink network on 8 July.
Speedlink users hope that their problems will be highlighted when Transport Minister Roger Freeman meets an FTA delegation later this month.
The FTA is currently seeking clarification of key points in Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind's pro-rail speech made two weeks ago.
It wants details of how and when competition in train operations will be introduced.
The FTA is also seeking confirmation of the Department of Transport's policy on Section 8 grants to hauliers.