Rail Freight (Hansard, 18 April 2002)

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what is the estimated increase in use of diesel trains for rail freight use over the lifetime of the 10-year plan; [49712]
(2) what the estimated change is in use of electric trains for rail freight use over the lifetime of the 10-year plan; [49713]
(3) what volume of rail freight traffic is hauled by (a) electric and (b) diesel locomotives. [49711]

§ Mr. Byers
The Strategic Rail Authority does not keep data on the form of traction used by freight operating companies.

§ Mrs. May
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the estimated number of journeys made per month by road hauliers(a) to transfer freight onto the rail network and (b) to transfer freight from the rail network to its final destination in each of the last five years. [49716]

§ Mr. Byers
The information requested is not available on a monthly basis.

§ Miss McIntosh
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what compensation is being given to rail freight operators as a result of disruption to rail freight facilities through the Channel tunnel. [R] [49033]

§ Mr. Spellar
The companies affected should, in the first instance, be exploring the remedies available to them under their contracts and under EU law on the free movement of goods.

§ Miss McIntosh
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the impact on his ten-year transport plan of the rail freight disruption through the channel tunnel since November 2001; and if he will revise his estimated increase of rail freight. [R] [49026]

§ Mr. Jamieson
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 26 March 2002,Official Report, column 957W.
1107W

§ Mr. Cox
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to encourage the increase of freight by rail within the Greater London area. [50587]

§ Mr. Jamieson
The Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA's) Freight Strategy proposes a number of initiatives for increasing use of rail freight in Greater London. The SRA is also working with Transport for London and its London Sustainable Distribution Partnership to identify opportunities for sustainable urban distribution.
The SRA will be focusing on London when it produces its regional freight strategy for London and the south-east later this year.