The Freight Transport Association has announced its support for the Eddington Transport Study, which recognises the importance of the UK’s international gateways.

In turn, it has published its own report, Freight Future, on the changes it expects the industry to experience over the next 10 years in the “crucial period” before the recommendations in the Eddington Transport Study take effect.

Freight Future shows the impact of the expected economic growth of these gateways and important additional freight flows along key road and rail routes.

These, it says, must be protected against delay and congestion caused by the much bigger growth in cars and passenger trains.

The Eddington Study also recognised the need to relieve bottlenecks in order to reduce congestion and improve transport flow. In Freight Future report, the FTA has identified these UK Trade Routes and seeks urgent action on them by Government, saying 2015 will be too late a start date.

It says the Government needs to protect efficient movement of freight traffic along trade routes, the M1, M2, M6, M20, M25 M60, M62, A14, A1(M), and for rail, the West Coast Main Line, Felixstowe - London, Southampton - Birmingham, Felixstowe - Peterborough.

According to the FTA, these routes need improved capacity and better management of other traffic and monitoring and maintenance of traffic flow to provide reliable journey times.

They would also benefit from maximising nighttime network use by relaxing night delivery restrictions and better managing of maintenance works, it said.

James Hookham, FTA deputy chief executive said: “Forty-five per cent of everything we spend on transport we spend on transporting goods rather than people. Protecting freight flows along our key Trade Routes should be a priority for Government that cannot wait for the introduction of road pricing or the other recommendations in the Eddington Transport Study.

“Congestion is the curse of modern logistics, whether on the road or rail network. It disrupts schedules, adds costs, and results in poor service. The expected growth in freight traffic over the next ten years is dwarfed by the growth in car traffic and passenger train services. Yet freight movements will be a vital part of the growing, consumer driven economy hoped for by the Chancellor. Parts of the existing road and rail networks are already close to capacity. Investment in the Trade Routes to protect these vital freight flows is a justified and urgent requirement.'”

The FTA also supports Eddington’s reference to a need for more targeted development of key ports and airports.

It says increasing amounts of imports will enter the country through the gateway container ports of Felixstowe, Southampton, and the Thames ports, as well as the freight ferry and shuttle terminals at Dover and Folkestone, which will result in an increase in goods vehicle journeys of between one and four per cent annually. The number of freight trains along the main road and rail routes serving these ports will also grow by up to nine per cent.

The Association also welcomes the Eddington study’s recognition of the need for changes in planning to enable infrastructure improvements to be implemented in much shorter timescales; something it has campaigned for over many years.

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