Digital technology has been enabling efficiencies in the rail freight sector for years, and RFG’s own Digital Forum is providing a neutral space for RFG members to come together and discuss the opportunities and challenges from existing and emerging technologies. It is evident that within member companies, and companies more widely, there is great digital […]
The RFG launched its pilot cohort for the brand new Cross-Member Mentoring Programme in January. Some 40 mentees were matched with a mentor and 29 different organisations were represented, giving people in freight the opportunity to develop new skills and expand knowledge of the many different areas of rail freight over a 12-month period. Mentees […]
When I told someone (in the freight industry) that Solent Stevedores had been named Business of the Year at our annual Rail Freight Group Awards, he expressed surprise. Surely a rail freight company should be the winner? When I explained that Tarmac had won the accolade a couple of years ago, he was even more […]
There was a common theme in my conversations at the Multimodal exhibition last week. And it wasn’t rail reform! The businesses we spoke to, at our Rail Freight Pavilion and on their stands, were all keen to talk about rail freight growth and the actions they are already taking to get more goods on trains! […]
The failure of the Nuneham Viaduct between Oxford and Didcot is currently causing some significant disruption for freight services. The bridge, built a century ago, has been declared unsafe by Network Rail, meaning that passenger trains are suspended and the forty or so daily freight trains diverted, mostly via London and the West Coast Main […]
Decarbonising transport must be a primary objective to reach Scotland’s climate target goals and rail freight has a big role to play. To reach the climate target goals, the focus needs to be on modal shift from road freight, so it’s useful to understand where this achievement will come from by looking at how road […]
This time last year, it seemed that rail freight was on a roll, if you’ll forgive the pun. Everywhere we looked, we found people keen to talk to us about the possibility of using rail to move their goods around the country. With the emphasis on sustainability and the green economy, rail seemed an obvious […]
Although the railways are often seen as a Victorian invention, the first commercial railways began under the reign of William IV. Indeed, it was his Consort, Queen Adelaide, who had the first Royal Railway carriage built for her. Adelaide, famously, gave her name to the eponymous city in Australia but, less well known is the […]
The Scottish High-Level Output Statement (SHLOS) was published on 3 Feb 2023 and with it set out what the rail industry is to achieve during the period for Control Period 7 (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029). Scottish Ministers have tasked Network Rail once again to keep a focus on rail freight in its […]
Earlier this week, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper broke cover and made his first major speech on rail. Addressing a packed room he confirmed his commitment to rail reform and to the creation of Great British Railways as an integrated guiding mind for UK rail. Unlike some of his political counterparts, Harper comes […]
