Comment on the publication of the Railways Bill

Commenting on the publication of the Railways Bill, Maggie Simpson OBE, RFG Director General, said:

“We welcome the commitments for a statutory duty to promote freight, and the requirement for a freight growth target to be set by the Secretary of State. These are essential to ensuring rail freight will be a success under Great British Railways.

“However, our members remain concerned over the planned legal changes to create a new capacity allocation and timetabling process. It is essential that GBR offers capacity for freight through a fair, transparent and consistent process which offers long term certainty for customers and operators, with an effective and strong right of appeal.

“We look forward to working with Government to ensure that the new legal framework works for our members and delivers on our shared ambitions for growth.”