DB CARGO UK'S STATEMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE DECISION TO CEASE RAIL FREIGHT OPERATIONS
We are profoundly disappointed by Royal Mail's decision to cease its rail freight activities from 10th October.
We will now be seeking urgent talks with the new Labour Government, policymakers and other key industry stakeholders, to see what more can be done to level the playing field between rail freight and the heavily subsidised road haulage sector.
Royal Mail has made it clear that its decision is purely down to the increasing costs of electric traction (EC4T) and the high investment needs of its ageing 325 fleet. In fact, it has explicitly reiterated DB Cargo UK's excellent performance in operating and maintaining their services and units over the years.
For some time now we have been lobbying Government to address the issue of high EC4T charges which are beyond the price many of our customers can afford to pay.
The decision by Royal Mail, one of the UK’s highest profile companies, shows that real change is needed now if we are to have any chance of meeting the Government’s plan to boost modal shift by 75% by 2050.
We will now take the time to process and understand the implications of Royal Mail’s decision and, of course, we will be speaking to our Trade Unions to ensure we can communicate to our dedicated and hard-working colleagues as quickly as possible what any impact may be.
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