I fully agree with Tom Brazier.

I’m beginning to suspect that this is another typical greenwash scheme, constructed in large part with tax-payers’ money gifted by a government which, regardless of whether it’s used or not, can claim that it’s pushing green solutions.

Appears on the surface to be the typical green project: a lot of office-bound effort to bring in large government and EU grants to create and open the terminal to much fanfare, but a lack of practical ability when it comes to actually doing the footwork and getting the business in that will make it pay and offset the carbon originally claimed.

It’s not a case of recession: as Tom says, there are lorries delivering everywhere and rail freight should be more competitive, although one wonders if it’s a case of the typical “British final mile”, seen in many sectors such as postal service, telecoms, etc, where there’s much-mooted competition, but the lower price is negated by the high fees required by local lorries to deliver the goods to their destination once they have arrived at the terminal.

A real shame, because rail freight terminals could do so much for the country and economy, but in the end, you can employ all the pen-pushers and grant seekers you want, but you eventually need to actually face the real world and get the business in.

I do hope that this terminal gets busier and does manage to transfer a good proportion of goods onto the rail network.

Report abuse

I don’t know – you people are so cynical! Now the facilities are in place the trains are sure to follow. maybe only a few at first, but once loco drivers realise what a delightful destination Donnington is for a Sunday afternoon drive you won’t be be able to find a parking space.

The demand for bulk freight capacity is bound to grow – given the number of extra houses planned for Telford over the next few years there should be enough domestic refuse to fill a couple of trains a week.

I think this another brave example of “thinking outside the box” by our planners – the people who said “if you build enough houses the jobs are sure to follow”.

They were right then weren’t they?……….

Report abuse

Even the train companies find it cheaper to move locomotives by road than by rail so why would any factory use the railways apart from huge regular deliveries from one fixed place to another, coal from mine to power station, coal from port to power station and steel between different works. That is goods weighing thousands of tons daily.
The days of the railways carrying parcels and other mixed goods ended in the early sixties, it is just too slow and expensive to put anything in the hands of a unionised business.

Report abuse

I live not far from the terminal, and would love to see it busier.

With lots of those lovely Type 66 locos………

Report abuse