Freight
Cracking on and delivering growth The new Chair of the Rail Freight Group, Neil Sime, looks ahead to the industry’s exciting future
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eil Sime, Managing Director of Victa Railfreight, was elected as the new Chair of Rail Freight Group (RFG) in November 2020. For Neil, who served as Vice-Chair of RFG for the preceding two years and , has been a board member since 2003 and RFG member since Victa Railfreight was formed in 1995, it is an appointment that has made him both flattered and incredibly proud. The Maidstone-based businessman is looking forward to facing the enormous challenges that the coming months will present, while also helping RFG members embrace the big opportunities that are materialising in rail freight. Neil said: “It’s very nice to be recognised by my peers in what is a challenging time for everyone working in rail freight. The freight industry is very used to challenges but we simply just crack on and deliver growth. “We are also facing a very exciting future, as more businesses look to move their goods off the roads and onto the rail network and, given the restructuring that will also take place, that will bring with it some fantastic opportunities. All we need now is some strategic certainty so that we can look 20 years ahead and consider what technological advances we can bring to make rail freight services more efficient, resulting in a vision that we can all be equipped for accordingly.” The board of RFG has the experience to lead the way, along with RFG Director-General Maggie Simpson OBE. Andrew Harston, Regional Director, Wales & Short Sea Ports, Associated British Ports, has been elected Vice-Chair and new board members Liam Day, GB Railfreight (GBRf); Peter Graham, Freightliner; John Hall, Davis Wagon Services; and Geoff Lippitt, PD Ports join the 16-strong board. Neil said: “We’ve got a very strong board and a fantastic executive team led by Maggie, and there’s some really good work being done. My aim for the next 12 months is to do what I can to make the board as effective as possible in support of the whole rail freight sector, pulling everyone together to lead on key strategic issues and making sure that we’re talking as one voice. We’re a strong unit and we will work together to bring about even greater things.” 40 | January 2021
Supporting RFG Members Neil continued: “The RFG’s role has never been more important in tackling the current issues such as the decarbonisation of the transport sector and
We are facing a very exciting future, as more businesses look to move their goods off the roads and onto the rail network in helping the Government meet its environmental targets. I look forward to helping carry the debate forwards and supporting RFG Members.” Neil enjoys wearing more than one hat and the positive benefits that the ‘day job’ bring to being Chair mean that his two leadership roles in the industry go hand-in-hand. His role as MD at
Victa Railfreight – a “microcosm” of the rail freight sector – provides him with strong insight into what other member businesses are experiencing. He added: “The day job also provides me with plenty of opportunities to lobby for the sector, so it will be integral to what I do on a day-to-day basis as RFG chair.” That lobbying will, necessarily, have a focus on the need for more electrification, including some ‘quick wins’ linking Felixstowe with the Electrified trunk route from Ipswich, wiring London Gateway from the port through to the London Southend line, electrification of the routes from Teesport to the East Coast Mainline and associated power supply upgrades, along with other short stretches of line that link adjacent electrified routes. Neil explained: “The entire rail industry is in flux right now given the fall-off of passenger numbers and the huge amount of financial support the Government has had to provide to support passenger operators. Freight has fared much better. Understandably there was a fall-off in April and May 2020, but freight volumes have railbusinessdaily.com
