Paul McMahon, Director for Freight at Network Rail provided a fantastic national strategic and tactical picture of freight today and tomorrow.
Forward Facing Freight – developments and prospects of the sector:

The scene was set with a description of the decline in freight from a level of 35BN tons per KM in 1953, through to 14BN tons per KM in 1994 and back up to 22BN tons per KM in 2012

Freight was quoted recently by the ORR – “freight is the most transformed sector in the rail industry since privatisation”

So what do the freight customers want?
• Improved reliability and performance
• Reduced cost
• Greater capacity and capability
• Closer relationships with Network Rail
• Modern rail linked facilities

Major improvements at Immingham right time departure through the use of control boards. This has improved the right time departures from 50% to 65%

Freight is expected to grow quickly, with expected freight market shares rising from 23% in 2011 through to 57% in 2043