U.K. government awards rail freight grants

U.K. government awards rail freight grants The United Kingdom’s Department for Transport has awarded '44 million ($87.7 million) of grants as part of its scheme to shift goods from the country’s busy roads onto its rail network.
   The DfT said the grants, awarded through the Rail Environmental Benefit Procurement Scheme (REPS), would result in the equivalent of more than 2.1 million truck journeys and 631 million truck kilometers being removed from Britain’s roads over the next three years. The next bid round for REPS closes on June 15.
   “We will continue to provide financial support to rail freight where it is affordable and where it offers the greatest benefits when assessed alongside support for other modes. There is funding available and I would like to encourage the industry to get involved and make best use of it,” said Rail Minister Tom Harris.
   The U.K.’s Freight Transport Association welcomed the awards. “As the economy grows in the coming years, we will need to move as much freight by rail as we can,” said James Hookham, FTA deputy chief executive.
   “Inevitably we are going to see more container traffic coming into the U.K., notably from India, China and the Far East, and it is important that as much of this as possible goes by rail.
   “Roads congestion is the blight of British industry, wasting around '20 billion ($39.9 billion) in the U.K. economy each year. Companies which are able to consign goods by rail are likely to enjoy benefits in both efficiency and profitability, and grants of the type announced today help accelerate that process.”