International & UK Railway News Sunday 14th April 2013

CER - The Voice of European Railways

Rail Freight Status Report 2013

More than 10 years ago, ambitious objectives were set for rail freight competitiveness by the European Commission’s 2001 Transport White Paper. Numerous policy measures have been introduced over the last decade in an attempt to realise this vision, and a new Transport White Paper was adopted in 2011, with more ambitious objectives for an efficient and sustainable transport sector. While the European Commission is introducing a new package of measures for rail – the so-called ‘Fourth Railway Package’ – it is an appropriate time to take stock of both positive and negative developments and to assess the efficiency of measures introduced over the last decade. So what is the state of the rail freight sector after a decade of EU rail policy measures?

 

Unfortunately, it is not as good as one might hope, and overall progress in the competitiveness
of rail freight compared with other modes is rather disappointing. In spite of a significant
development in intra-modal competition over the past decade, the much-needed modal
shift towards rail, which would bring energy efficiency and important CO2 emissions gains,
is still far from being a reality. The imbalance between road and rail freight is increasing, in a
worrying move for the sustainability of the transport system.

The railways have demonstrated their commitment to quality and efficiency by subscribing
to various quality charters and quality management systems, and are seeking to improve
their processes and products, both as a sector and at company level. These positive
developments need to be recognised. However, on their own, they are unlikely to prove
sufficient to rejuvenate rail freight.

Building on the lessons from the past decade, we need to collectively look at what needs
to be done to turn the objectives of the 2011 Transport White Paper into reality. This report
aims to do just this, by providing a snapshot of the situation of rail freight and assessing
the efficiency of policy measures already introduced. Most importantly, it provides concrete
recommendations in order to fully realise the potential of rail freight.

We hope this report will be helpful in reminding all decision makers that structural measures
alone will fail if not accompanied by sufficient funding for rail infrastructure and the introduction
of appropriate framework measures to put all modes on a level-playing field. We now have a
perfect opportunity to rethink policy objectives and to concentrate efforts on the real issues.
The railway sector will continue to play its part, but there is no time to waste.

Download(s)

Rail Freight Status Report 2013

UK Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

Business Plan 2013-2014

Business Plan 2013-14 ( PDF 1,200 Kb)
Published 10 April 2013
We have also published a summary of responses ( PDF 84 Kb) to our Business Plan consultation.
This is an important year for ORR, in which we will make decisions that help to determine the shape of Britain’s railways for the rest of this decade and beyond.

Later this year, we will conclude our Periodic Review of Network Rail, which will set the framework for financing and delivering improvements in the infrastructure and operation of the railway through to 2019.

The Periodic Review will lay the foundations for the development of the sector for the foreseeable future. We will use it to support new partnerships across the industry, new alliances between rail businesses, and to enable enhancements to infrastructure and services that create new opportunities for different ways of working.

ORR will continue to support the rapid pace of change that is affecting the sector, ensuring that Network Rail, the train companies, rolling stock providers and the broader supply chain – are able to share the benefits of working together to meet the needs of customers, taxpayers, and the expectations of funders.

This year we want to make ORR even more accountable to all of our stakeholders for what we do and why we do it. This is why we consulted earlier in 2013 on the emerging themes for this business plan, and on the five strategic objectives around which we now plan all of our activities as an organisation. These strategic objectives sharpen the focus and transparency of what we do, what we are trying to achieve for the railways and how ORR is making a difference on behalf of the railways customers and funders.

Our business plan is organised around our five strategic objectives.

1. Driving for a safer railway;
2. Supporting a Better Service for Customers;
3. Securing value for money from the railway, for users and funders;
4. Promoting an increasingly dynamic and commercially sustainable sector; and
5. Being a High Performing Regulator.

The Plan begins with a summary of what we aim to achieve this year, and then goes into detail around our five strategic objectives. In the sections that follow we explain for each objective:

• Why we set this objective
• Vision for what we want the rail industry to achieve
• What ORR does to support this
• What we will do in 2013/14
• How we will measure success

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