Hear from Jess Lippett, Network Rail’s Senior Regional Freight Manager for Wales and Western about the importance of freight in Wales.
Andrew Hemmings, Secretary to the Rail Freight Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport talks about Bassaleg viaduct.
Shining a light on Freight in Wales
As Britain celebrates 200 years of the railway, we are pleased to shine a light on the integral role freight played in the network we have today.
From the Penydarran ironworks in Merthyr to the Cynheidre colliery in Carmarthenshire, railway lines popped up all over Wales to move goods down to ports or on towards cities.
As the industrial revolution gave way to the 21st century and the development of roads, many railway lines adapted to include a growing demand for passenger services while others would later close altogether in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s and beyond.
But that legacy still lives on across Wales and today passenger and freight traffic still work hand in hand.
In the village of Bassaleg, stands the Bassaleg Viaduct. A four arch span crossing the Ebbw river, it is the second oldest railway bridge or viaduct in the world still in operational use.
Built for the Rumney Railway (original spelling) to help bring coal down towards Newport docks, it later became part of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway moving passengers. A station was even built at Bassaleg as part of that, eventually closing at the end of 1962.
However the viaduct lives on, and today is part of a route linking the Machen Quarry to the south Wales mainline and beyond, with trains still taking building materials over it on a weekly basis.
“Places like this represent the birth of the railway,” said Andrew Hemmings, Secretary to the Rail Freight Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) UK and author of “Secret Newport”.
“This viaduct started with coal, but has seen steel, people and now building materials from the quarry travel over it for almost 200 years.
“It really represents the changing face of transport in Wales but so few people know it’s here.”
These days freight and passenger operators will bid in to Network Rail for the “paths” they would like to operate to ensure both can operate safely.
Typically the passenger timetable will remain broadly unchanged for six months at a time, albeit with short term changes made for engineering works or special events. Freight paths require more flexibility because of the markets they work in so the timetable is designed around both the needs of passengers and freight.
The modern freight picture in Wales remains bright. Today we still move steel, fuel, building materials, retail goods and timber.
At the freight yard in Margam near Port Talbot, between 100 and 150 trains per week will run, taking steel across the country from the steel works. Each can carry enough steel to make 1,000 cars.
A freight train can carry the equivalent amount of goods that would need 129 HGVs if moving by road.
Freight trains emit up to 76% less CO2 per tonne than road freight.
Jess Lippett, Network Rail’s Senior Regional Freight Manager for Wales and Western said:
“So much of the network we have today is down to the development of freight, particularly in Wales.
“We’re really keen to keep growing freight in new markets across Wales, working hand in hand with Transport for Wales and other passenger operators to ensure we make the most of the network.
“At places like Padeswood Cement works near Wrexham, one of our key customers, we are looking at how we can develop their operation to maximise longer and heavier freight trains into the site and ensure TfW are able to improve services in the area. On the Cambrian line we also worked together to get timber trains running from Aberystwyth, again taking a significant amount of lorries off the busy road network.
“It’s all about working together to make a railway that works for everyone.”
Steve Whitley, Head of Operations Strategy at Transport for Wales, added:
“The timber train from Aberystwyth is a good example of how we work with industry partners to optimise the use of scarce railway capacity.
“We’re working together on our long held commitment to introduce a new 16:30 service from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth which would clash but we’ve been able to work together with Network Rail to find a way of fitting both in by moving the freight train to later in the day.”
Back at Bassaleg, there are early plans to commemorate the viaduct in time for it’s 200th anniversary next year as we celebrate the past and look forward to building on the legacy for future generations.
