The railway, rather than roads, should be upgraded to stimulate economic growth, the Government was told today.

Echoing calls from the CBI to improve Britain’s transport infrastructure, the Rail Freight Group said that, rather than developing toll roads, rail upgrades should be the priority on the A14 corridor and elsewhere. 

A recent survey from the Confederation of British Industry, in conjunction with KPMG, found that out of 477 businesses, 58% rated Britain’s infrastructure worse than other European Union countries for quality, value for money and reliability. 

Only 26% of firms saw the UK as a “favourable destination for infrastructure investment”. “Firms across the country say that the infrastructure they depend on every working day is just not good enough and is stifling growth," said John Cridland, CBI director general.

Commenting on the statement, RFG pressed for the completion of the rail upgrade of the Felixstowe to Nuneaton (F2N) route as a cost-effective way of relieving congestion on the A14 road for freight moving from the port of Felixstowe, instead of the privately funded toll road proposed by the CBI. 

“The number of containers moving through Felixstowe by rail is growing all the time, but this could be significantly increased if the route was upgraded to meet modern demands,” said Maggie Simpson, RFG policy manager.

“Plans are expected to be included in the rail industry's planning document due to go to ministers later this month.

“A cost-effective rail scheme must be the priority ahead of major new road infrastructure as a way of delivering a sustainable and efficient transport system in England.

“Such investment would help decongest the A14, but would also have a positive knock-on effect on all major connecting motorways.”

Information from Rail Freight Group.