November 2024
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This conference discussed the future of the UK freight sector, and priorities for policy as significant legislation from the new Government is announced in the King’s Speech.
Key stakeholders and policymakers examined proposals in:
- the Railways Bill, which will establish Great British Railways (GBR), with:
- a statutory duty to promote the use of rail freight, alongside an overall growth target set by the Secretary of State
- safeguards to ensure that freight operators continue to receive fair access to the network
- the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, with reforms aimed at helping to increase capacity and efficiency for the freight industry by aligning major project development with transport strategy
The conference also examined the new Government’s priorities for achieving modal shift to decarbonise the freight sector and implications for stakeholders across the industry, including rail, road haulage, aviation and maritime. Delegates considered how the geography of the UK’s transport network might impact achieving modal shift and the practical considerations associated with moving more freight onto rail.
Sessions brought out latest thinking on strategies for improving inter-modal coordination, and assess progress and the way forward for developing a National Freight Network. It was an opportunity to discuss priorities for raising the status of freight across different industries, considering what can be done to ensure equality between freight users and passenger users.
Those attending discussed how policy, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, can be configured to help achieve the aim of accelerating infrastructure delivery to increase capacity within the freight industry and how this might help drive the new Government’s ambition for economic growth and productivity.
Further sessions discussed the regulatory framework and incentives required to support freight operators in navigating a fair and realistic transition to net zero. Infrastructure requirements will be considered to ensure the transition is achievable, as well as priorities for identifying the different energy needs of stakeholders across the freight industry. There was also discussion on addressing the skills gap in freight and logistics, considering how proposals such as Skills England might seek to overcome potentially negative perceptions of the industry. Stakeholders also considered the impact that AI is having on warehousing and the wider logistics sector, as well as the role of recent funding to support the use of technology to innovate and decarbonise freight.
Delegates discussed priorities for GBR and what will be needed from policy and regulation to support growth in the rail freight sector, considering the likely impact of strategies such as Network Rail cutting prices for new traffic flows, alongside the decision to keep rail freight within the private sector in the future mix. Stakeholders considered immediate impacts that establishing a Shadow Great British Railways might have on UK rail freight, as well as its wider effects on the full transition once legislation creates GBR as an arm’s length body.
Approaches to overcoming capacity constraints beyond infrastructure were also explored, looking into issues such as timetabling and how freight can collaborate with the wider rail sector to drive growth and improve efficiency.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with: Laura Marquis, Deputy Director, Logistics and Supply Chain Policy Division, Logistics and Borders Directorate, DfT; Will Godfrey, Director, Economics, Finance and Markets, ORR; John Bailey, Managing Director, Intermodal, Maritime Transport; Jonathan Walker, Head, Infrastructure and Planning Policy, Logistics UK; Nick Graham, Head of External Networks, Eddie Stobart; Prof Phillip Greening, Director, Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and Centre for Logistics and Sustainability, Heriot-Watt University; and Richard Moody, Programme Director, Freight Reform, GBR Transition Team.
All delegates were able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. Those that attended include officials from DfT; ORR; Transport Scotland; DBT; Defra; DESNZ; EA; HMRC; DfI, NI; DAERA, NI; DfC, NI; DSIT; GO-Science; HoC Library; Invest NI; MCA; MHCLG; and the Welsh Government.
