Service promotes rail freight

FTA is seeking to introduce companies to the use of rail freight through its new service FTA FastTrack.

At launch, the rail freight assessment service is being offered free. It will provide companies with impartial advice to assess the potential benefits of rail and whether to explore the service further.

It works by the company completing a form providing information on type of freight, number and volume of shipments and origin and destination points. FastTrack provides an assessment of feasibility, cost and environmental benefit.

Christopher Snelling, FTA's head of global supply chain policy, said: “Rail freight has a tremendous amount to offer now but there may companies that don't explore the option as they assume it will not work for them or it will be too complicated.

“FTA wants to help encourage companies by providing a very simple first step which can estimate if rail is a possibility for them.

“Rail freight has the potential to grow in the next few years, but in order for it to flourish we need to make it more accessible to new entrants. FastTrack will help companies to break down potential barriers to entry enabling them to quickly come to a well-informed view on whether they can tap into the benefits of rail freight and, if so, how.”

FastTrack is provided by the FTA in conjunction with transport consultancy Intermodality.