RAILFUTURE
MINUTES OF MEETING NO 129 OF THE FREIGHT COMMITTEE HELD AT CARRS LANE BIRMINGHAM ON SAT 25 SEPT 2004
PRESENT:- G. Tinsey (Chairman), E. Layfield (Secretary), P. Bisatt, T. Ross, and D. Harby.
3388 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE had been received from G. Boyle, L. Davies, I. Ivanovic, R. Macqueen, J. Saunders, S. Wilkinson and P. Wakefield. It was noted that K. Cropley had resigned from Railfuture. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, some names had been omitted from the list of members in “Who’s Who”.
3389 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING (Birmingham, 8 May) Minute no 3378. The dates for the Public Enquiry into the Cambridge Busway should read 28 Sept (St Ives) and 12 Oct (Cambridge). Otherwise the minutes were accepted as a true record.
3390 MATTERS ARISING. Minute no 3386. The proposal to visit the Potter Group had been declined by the firm due to construction work taking place. Minute no 3387. It appears that some, at least, of the newsletters despatched on 22 July have been lost in the post.
3391 CORRESPONDENCE
EFL reported that he had received correspondence from S Wilkinson and D. Spinks. Correspondence had also been received from the following:- Lord Berkeley thanking the Freight Committee for their support in the Freight on Track campaign, Cambridge County Council on the Busway,D. Henshaw on the possibility of a rail connection to the Proposed Petfood factory at Castle Cary, V. Hurrell on future planning applications at Peterborough, paper on Vertical Integration by N. Lewis of the Passenger Committee, paper on Experience with 44t Lorries by Professor A. Mckinnon received via Freight on Rail, Network Development Committee minutes of 19 June (letter sent to R.Pout regarding Heritage Railways) and Central Railway.
GT reported he had received correspondence from:- G. Boyle on Royal Mail, P. Cousins on Midlands freight, DfT and DTI on gas oil, M. Honeyman on NW railfreight, A. Macfarlane on the Partington branch and R. Macqueen on Energy and Transport in Europe.The papers from the ILT conference at Westminster University were passed to PB for circulation
3392 REPORTS
EFL reported on the Rail Freight Group.
LD reported by E-mail on Corus and coal traffic in the NE.
DH reported on the new coal terminal at Immingham.
TR reported on developments at Hull docks.
3393 CHANNEL TUNNEL FREIGHT TRAFFIC
It was noted that the proposal for a freight terminal at Dollands Moor had been abandoned.
3394 HEAVIER LORRIES
EFL had sent a copy of the paper written by GB to RFG, T2000 and Freight on Rail. CfIT had been approached by FoR and they replied that they did not know of any plans to introduce heavier lorries. However, it was noted that that some hauliers are pressing hard for heavier lorries.
3395 OPEN ACCESS OPERATORS
The Advenza Freightbus is due to start running this month and will be hauled by electric traction between Willesden and Mossend. Merlin Rail are proposing to run freight DMU’s plus OTA wagons carrying timber from Aberystwyth to Chirk.
3396 CAMPAIGN PROGRAMME 2004
A general discussion and update took place on the Campaign programme. It was noted that no progress had been made with Minimodal, and the Piggyback cement traffic from Westbury to Southampton had proved to be unviable and had ceased. The development of the network was being monitored via the RFG Business Infrastructure Group and the top priority now was to upgrade the Southampton – Birmingham route for 9ft 6in containers. It was not known when Rail Freight Grants would be reinstated, and the Company Neutral Revenue Support Scheme had drawbacks due to its limited scope and timescale. The forthcoming demise of the SRA was leading to much uncertainty as to who will be responsible for proposing and progressing enhancements, and it may be necessary for Railfuture to undertake some lobby action in the near future.
3397 BUDGET 2005
It was agreed that the budget for 2005 should remain as for 2004, plus 3% for inflation.
3398 NEXT MEETING was provisionally arranged for 15 Jan 2005 at Birmingham. It may be possible to issue a Newsletter early in Dec.
MINUTES OF MEETING NO 129 OF THE FREIGHT COMMITTEE HELD AT CARRS LANE BIRMINGHAM ON SAT 25 SEPT 2004
PRESENT:- G. Tinsey (Chairman), E. Layfield (Secretary), P. Bisatt, T. Ross, and D. Harby.
3388 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE had been received from G. Boyle, L. Davies, I. Ivanovic, R. Macqueen, J. Saunders, S. Wilkinson and P. Wakefield. It was noted that K. Cropley had resigned from Railfuture. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, some names had been omitted from the list of members in “Who’s Who”.
3389 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING (Birmingham, 8 May) Minute no 3378. The dates for the Public Enquiry into the Cambridge Busway should read 28 Sept (St Ives) and 12 Oct (Cambridge). Otherwise the minutes were accepted as a true record.
3390 MATTERS ARISING. Minute no 3386. The proposal to visit the Potter Group had been declined by the firm due to construction work taking place. Minute no 3387. It appears that some, at least, of the newsletters despatched on 22 July have been lost in the post.
3391 CORRESPONDENCE
EFL reported that he had received correspondence from S Wilkinson and D. Spinks. Correspondence had also been received from the following:- Lord Berkeley thanking the Freight Committee for their support in the Freight on Track campaign, Cambridge County Council on the Busway,D. Henshaw on the possibility of a rail connection to the Proposed Petfood factory at Castle Cary, V. Hurrell on future planning applications at Peterborough, paper on Vertical Integration by N. Lewis of the Passenger Committee, paper on Experience with 44t Lorries by Professor A. Mckinnon received via Freight on Rail, Network Development Committee minutes of 19 June (letter sent to R.Pout regarding Heritage Railways) and Central Railway.
GT reported he had received correspondence from:- G. Boyle on Royal Mail, P. Cousins on Midlands freight, DfT and DTI on gas oil, M. Honeyman on NW railfreight, A. Macfarlane on the Partington branch and R. Macqueen on Energy and Transport in Europe.The papers from the ILT conference at Westminster University were passed to PB for circulation
3392 REPORTS
EFL reported on the Rail Freight Group.
LD reported by E-mail on Corus and coal traffic in the NE.
DH reported on the new coal terminal at Immingham.
TR reported on developments at Hull docks.
3393 CHANNEL TUNNEL FREIGHT TRAFFIC
It was noted that the proposal for a freight terminal at Dollands Moor had been abandoned.
3394 HEAVIER LORRIES
EFL had sent a copy of the paper written by GB to RFG, T2000 and Freight on Rail. CfIT had been approached by FoR and they replied that they did not know of any plans to introduce heavier lorries. However, it was noted that that some hauliers are pressing hard for heavier lorries.
3395 OPEN ACCESS OPERATORS
The Advenza Freightbus is due to start running this month and will be hauled by electric traction between Willesden and Mossend. Merlin Rail are proposing to run freight DMU’s plus OTA wagons carrying timber from Aberystwyth to Chirk.
3396 CAMPAIGN PROGRAMME 2004
A general discussion and update took place on the Campaign programme. It was noted that no progress had been made with Minimodal, and the Piggyback cement traffic from Westbury to Southampton had proved to be unviable and had ceased. The development of the network was being monitored via the RFG Business Infrastructure Group and the top priority now was to upgrade the Southampton – Birmingham route for 9ft 6in containers. It was not known when Rail Freight Grants would be reinstated, and the Company Neutral Revenue Support Scheme had drawbacks due to its limited scope and timescale. The forthcoming demise of the SRA was leading to much uncertainty as to who will be responsible for proposing and progressing enhancements, and it may be necessary for Railfuture to undertake some lobby action in the near future.
3397 BUDGET 2005
It was agreed that the budget for 2005 should remain as for 2004, plus 3% for inflation.
3398 NEXT MEETING was provisionally arranged for 15 Jan 2005 at Birmingham. It may be possible to issue a Newsletter early in Dec.