Rail freight link gets £35m boost (BBC News)

[RF News]

Design work can start on a £35m rail freight improvement on the line from Felixstowe container port to the Midlands.

More from BBC News...

[klordger1900]

They talk about awarding contracts in big numbers and environmental benefits of huge investment doesnt actually say who is footing the bill. As part of the planning permission for further development at Trinity Terminal, the owners of Felixstowe Port were told they they had to finance the road/rail improvement work themselves. So like any good business that has had a kick in the teeth they pass it on to their customers. At £5.50 per loaded container into or out of Felixstowe, every user has been forced to cough up even though they have no contract/agreement to do so.
That doesnt sound like a lot of money on a per container basis, but this is set to continue for many years until it is paid off. Rather like the tolls at Dartford river crossing.
Meanwhile over in Europe there is plenty of environmental development involving ports and railway infrastructure which is solely funded from the public purse. I am affected by this impossition and see first hand the additional work this is putting on to the private sector in collecting this 'development tax' and of course there is nothing my industry can do about it (we tried) and it only opens the flood gates for other similar schemes. Problem is they just dont pass on all the facts just spin the glossy bits and wave the environmental banner. Is there any justice out there??

[Seabrook]

As a country we have wasteful, rapacious Local & National Governments. They raise from the taxpayer without ever thinking can their ideas or schemes be afforded. Light and Harbour dues in the UK far exceed those charged abroad, and come directly from the Shippers & Dock Companies. Therefore some larger shipping lines are now by-passing the UK and call directly at the Continental Super Ports where fees are less. Leaving the UK to be served by smaller feeder services which push the transport costs up! Taxes do cost jobs!!!

[klordger1900]

The vessels which are supposed to call at UK ports frequently pass by if the weather is poor. During the recent snow at Felixstowe there was a Far East ship sat in port for 3 days but nothing moved on or off because of the snow and ice. The ship left for Rotterdam and took all the UK contrs with it, some of them took 2 weeks to get back to Felixstowe. Ships are already steaming 'super slow' to save fuel so when this kind of thing happens the transit time of those goods stretches into months not weeks.

[pre65]

Originally Posted by klordger1900

Ships are already steaming 'super slow' to save fuel

Surely there is an optimum speed where fuel is used most economically ?

And do they not have schedules to adhere to ?

[klordger1900]

with nearly 600 container ships still laid up (mostly in Hong Kong Bay) the shipping lines are banding together and making new LOOPS as they like to call them and because the loop is stretched in terms of time taken - they have to add additional vessels to keep the weekly sailing schedule. This is all fine whilst they are trying to pre-guess how much freight will be moving around the world - not easy last year and this year seeming to be no better) but if demand picks up suddenly then there is instant chaos because they cannot just bring additional vessels into the same loops or create new loops as they take weeks to establish. By the time that happens the ports in places like China are already congested. Shipping and airfreight have taken an enormous battering for the whole of 2009 with massive losses across the board - no ones crystal ball is very clear for the foreseeable future. This of course is having a knock on effect with UK freight handling of contrs at an all time low, for this century anyway.