Regulator publishes next steps in review of freight charges

30 November 2000
ORR/00/39

Regulator publishes next steps in review of freight charges

The Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, has today published the next steps in his review of freight track access charging policy. This follows consultations with operators and users conducted in May and August 2000 and a hearing held in November 2000.

Commenting on these conclusions, Tom Winsor said: "This is an important step in establishing a charging regime that will stimulate growth in rail freight. It will do this by providing a framework in which the Government and the Strategic Rail Authority can decide how best to meet freight's growth objectives within the ten year transport plan."

The Regulator has concluded that freight costs should be more transparent and that there should be greater certainty and predictability in the charges that freight operators can expect to pay Railtrack for access to the network. The document also sets out the Regulator's estimate of the total level of freight costs Railtrack incurs in providing network services to its freight customers. In this, the third document published as part of the review of freight charging policy, the Regulator has invited comments on these cost estimates and he has separately published the results of an audit commissioned from his independent consultants, Europe Economics and Brown & Root Consulting.

Notes for editors:

1. The Regulator's review of freight charging policy was announced in Review of Freight Charging Policypublished on 26 May 2000.
2. The Regulator's second publication in his review of freight charging policy was announced in Review of Freight Charging Policy: Emerging View on Key Issues published on 31 August 2000.
3. The Regulator's national survey of rail freight was announced in The National Survey of Rail Freight Users: Summary of Results published on 10 August 2000.

Copies of these documents and of Review of Freight Charging Policy: Consultation on Costs, published today, are available from the ORR Librarian, Sue MacSwan, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London EC1N 2TQ, Tel: 020 7282 2001, fax: 020 7282 2045, e-mail: rail.library@orr.gsi.gov.uk. These documents can also be obtained from the ORR website: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk. Audit of Railtrack's Freight-Specific Costs, a report for the Office of the Rail Regulator by Europe Economics and Brown & Root Consulting, together with its Appendix 1, Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 can also be obtained from the ORR website.

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