RFG welcomed today’s announcement by the Department for Transport that the Government is providing funding grants from the Transport Innovation Fund of £132 million to upgrade four rail freight routes from major ports.  
Three projects will enable rail freight services to use standardised wagons to carry the new generation of 9’6’’ high maritime containers on key routes from the ports of Southampton, Felixstowe and Liverpool, using existing infrastructure capacity more efficiently. A fourth project will create more capacity to move imports of bulk freight such as power station coal and industrial raw materials from the Humber ports of Immingham and Hull.  These are additional to the funding grants announced in July to upgrade the cross-London freight route from Barking to Gospel Oak, to serve Thameside ports.  
Commenting on the announcement, RFG Chairman Tony Berkeley, said: ‘Today’s announcement demonstrates that investing in improved rail freight infrastructure is good for the national economy as well as offering real benefits to rail freight users and operators. 
‘It shows the success of the industry working together and with public sector bodies, both Government and regional agencies, to identify and deliver projects that demonstrate value for money.  It follows on from the well organised Freight Route Utilisation Study work.  
We look forward to continuing these partnerships and building on this success to develop a Strategic Rail Freight Network to unlock the full economic potential of rail freight in Britain.’