§ Mr. DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the rail freight terminals operating in each Government Office region. [95556]
§ Mr. HillRailtrack's "A Guide to Rail Freight", published in April 1999, says that there are around 1,000 active rail freight terminals connected to their network; a terminal can be any interface between rail freight services, other modes and/or storage facilities, and they vary enormously in size and scope from a simple siding through to a large distribution park.
Railtrack's "A Guide to Freight Connections" (Third Edition), published in October 1998, contains at Appendix B1 a list of private siding connections and at Appendix B2 a list of freight operating company sites. Each entry includes its geographical location by Railtrack Zone.
§ Mr. DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to support the establishment of new Rail Freight terminals adjacent to motorways. [95578]
§ Mr. HillThe Government's freight grants scheme is designed to assist companies in moving goods from road to rail where payment is justified by the environmental benefits. Capital grants are available towards the cost of new or refurbished freight facilities, including terminals, wherever they might be located. The Highways Agency has a Memorandum of Understanding with Railtrack to facilitate effective co-operation and understanding between the two organisations, and one of the areas of mutual interest mentioned in the Memorandum is the development of opportunities for the transfer of freight from road to rail through the provision of interchange facilities with access directly or indirectly from the trunk road network, including motorways.