Rail Freight Gordon Herbert Access manager
28 November 2016

## Regulating Rail Freight - Fair Access And Treatment

■The freight market
■Enhancements ■Performance ■Track access
- Casework - Access rights - European rules

## ■Discussion The Freight Market - Freight Rail Usage

■
Freight lifted fell to 18.8 million tonnes in 2016-17 Q1, a decrease of 15.3%. The amount of **coal lifted** was 2.7 
million tonnes, a decrease of 52.1%..... 
■
Freight delay in 2016-17 Q1 fell to 9.7 minutes per 100 train kilometres, a reduction of 6.1% compared to 2015-16 
Q1…... 
■
Total **freight train kilometres** was 8.37 million kilometres, a decrease of 0.6 million kilometres (-6.%) compared to 
2015-16 Q1. 
■
http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/22902/freight-rail-usage-2016-17-quarter-1.pdf
■Coal in decline ■Still a busy network with 
competing demands
■New markets opening up 
eg parcels, urban centres
■Competition role eg FL 
undertakings

## Enhancements ■Funded Enhancements

–
Government sets publicly funded enhancement priorities - recent Hendy review.  SFN £235M.
–
Governance of the fund works well through SFN steering group to identify schemes
–
Example bigger passing loops to enable longer more efficient trains
–
Felixstowe branch enhancements - an example where NR is working better with FOCs to report progress and decide best option to improve capacity
–
BUT NR's project delivery performance needs to be better

## ■Private Investment

–
Ports and freight terminals
–
New/recycled rolling stock

## ■Dft Freight Strategy

–
Commitment to freight, looking  to unlock potential,

## ■Nr Freight Study Freight Performance ■Orr Holds Nr To  Account

–
PR13 and licence condition

## ■Freight Delivery Metric For Cp5 Is 92.5%

–
15 minutes of scheduled arrival time 
–
NR met this in all but one period but some specific issues
–
NR also measures lateness for departures and arrivals
–
Balance filling train vs leaving on time…..effect on performance
–
Industry working together to improve performance - lateness can have big impact on 
freight operators

## ■Network Capability

–
NR funded to maintain published capability [line speed, gauge etc]
–
Freight reasonable expectation to go anywhere on network so expect NR to maintain all of the network
–
Holding NR to account - Freight performance improvement steering group; The Freight 
Attribution Delivery Group; The Network Capability Steering Group

## ■Possessions

–
Managing over-runs & minimising disruption (PDI-f measure 0.73 exit of CP5)

## Access And Licensing- Casework ■Framework Agreements

–
New TACs: 'big 5' TACs run to 2026, provides certainty
–
We decided between several passenger proposals for ECML but in doing so made sure freight needs considered
–
Streamlining general approval and updating guidance
–
Freight customer TACs available

## ■Facility Access

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ORR approval needed for access agreements, if not exempted (s17 and s18) 
–
Updating General Approval and new guidance
–
Appeals

## ■Connection Contracts

–
Updated guidance & updating connection contracts

## ■Licensing And Licence Exemptions ■Nr Land Disposals

Access rights issues
■Timetabling and flexibility of rights to make better use of network
- Windows instead of 'levels'
■Surrender of unused access rights, 
- 4,400 paths surrendered with 20% returned to strategic capacity
■Strategic capacity
- Freight has to be reactive to customers' needs - Strategic Capacity Statement: new QJ virtual paths, flexing, working with 
TOCs, code of practice - explaining timetabling decisions
- DfT/FOC working group
■Track access options ■Improving procedures - following up industry workshop ■Rail freight industry code of practice - industry solutions

## New European Access Rules ■Service Providers

–
The Railways (Access, Management and Licensing of Railway Undertakings) 
Regulations 2016
•
Information about facilities
- Access - Charges - Information on website or via Network Statement
•
ORR is appeals body
•
New ORR guidance
■Implementing Acts - service facilities, timetabling, framework agreements 
- opening up market
■Fourth Railway Package - "*the final step…*" ■European freight corridor ■European train control system