§ Mr. DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of rail freight's share of the freight market following the introduction of 44 tonne lorries. [117082]
§ Mr. HillIn its interim report "Permitting 44 tonne lorries for general use in the UK", the Commission for Integrated Transport considered carefully the impact of 44 tonne lorries on the rail freight market. They concluded that work to estimate the precise effect on rail freight's market share would be unlikely to produce reliable results in the light of the Rail Regulator's forthcoming review of track access charges and other factors.
The Commission has invited the shadow Strategic Rail Authority (sSRA) to develop detailed recommendations on measures to promote the growth of rail freight. We expect to be able to take the sSRA's proposals into account in developing our Transport 10-year Plan, due to be published in July.