FREIGHT operator DB Cargo UK says it is “profoundly disappointed” that its customer Royal Mail, the British postal operator, has decided to cease using its own trains from October 10.
DB Cargo UK currently operates and maintains six four-car class 325 EMUs for Royal Mail. Specifically designed for the transport of bulk mail, a total of 16 class 325s were built for Royal Mail in 1995-96.
“Royal Mail has made it clear that its decision is purely down to the increasing costs of electric traction and the high investment needs of its ageing fleet,” DB Cargo UK says.
DB Cargo UK says that it has been lobbying the government for some time to address the issue of the high charges for traction electricity that freight operators pay in Britain, “which are beyond the price many of our customers can afford to pay.”
It adds that this decision by one of Britain’s highest-profile companies shows that real change is needed if there is to be any chance of meeting the previous government’s target of achieving 75% growth in rail freight traffic by 2050.
“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,” DB Cargo UK says.
“Royal Mail will continue to use rail services to transport mail across the country, however our own freight trains are at the end of their operational lives,” a Royal Mail spokesperson told IRJ.
“The trains are almost 30 years old and it is increasingly difficult to secure parts for maintenance and the routes we need to meet our service requirements."
Having reviewed options for purchasing new trains, Royal Mail concluded that the best solution is using a combination of commercial rail freight services, its existing road network and a reduced number of domestic air services to transport mail.
A decision on whether to sell the class 325 EMU fleet will be made in due course, the Royal Mail spokesperson told IRJ.
Royal Mail points out that ceasing to use its own train fleet will be “broadly neutral” in terms of CO2 emissions. The company has set itself the objective of achieving net zero by 2040.
