Cracking on and delivering growth

The new Chair of the Rail Freight Group, Neil Sime, looks ahead to the industry’s exciting future

Neil 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.”

Neil overseeing the timber trail in Scotland - August 2020

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.”

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 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.”

We are facing a very exciting future, as more businesses look to move their goods off the roads and onto the rail network

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 faredmuch better. Understandably there was a fall-off in April and May 2020, but freight volumes have now recovered back to pre-coronavirus levels.

The decarbonisation agenda is picking up speed and we firmly believe that the rail freight sector has a major role to play in decarbonising the supply chain. We’ll be lobbying the Government hard for more electrification – from the infill schemes already mentioned to a wider electrification strategy to unite more of the trunk routes. With the impact of reduced passenger services there may well be some opportunities for running more freight trains on routes that were previously congested with passenger trains.”

Proven track record

Neil said: “Retailers and major supermarkets see the benefits of using rail increasingly as part of their supply chain. Going forward we all know that our withdrawal from the European Union will bring some challenges.

“A lot of shippers are moving from accompanied trailers to unaccompanied trailers and they are much easier to convert to containers that rail can move, and we clearly have a proven track record there. In the same way that we’ve built our deep-sea container volume, there will be significant growth in shorter sea that’s previously been road hauled as it transfers to rail.

“Rail freight is poised to relieve some of the logistical challenges that Brexit presents us with and the Channel Tunnel has capacity, and now could be the time for the tunnel to come to the fore once again.

“There are also huge tonnages forecast of construction materials in conjunction with HS2 but some big challenges to overcome in providing the resources to do that. There are going to be some significant structural changes in passenger rail but rail freight, which is driven by private enterprise, is a success story. We will keep up the lobbying and push for rail freight to be considered equally with the passenger sector in any reshaping of the rail industry.”

Investment continues

Investment in rail freight is continuing apace, although attention is turning to the replacement of Class 66 locos which are now mid-life, further emphasising the need for clarity around the Government’s intentions regarding electrification before orders are placed for new fleets and other equipment.

Neil said: “The sector is clearly very willing to invest further to secure its future place in rail so that’s one aspect that RFG is focused on. We definitely need to have confidence in the Government’s intentions because everyone wants to make the right investment. We can cope with some short-term uncertainty but long-term multi-million pound investment is not something the sector can take lightly, so we need some vision on what the future network will look like.

“At Victa Railfreight, we’re particularly focused on working collaboratively across the sector. We’re supporting safety improvements, developing logistics solutions by changing operational processes, looking at what the decarbonisation agenda means away from the mainline and holding discussions regarding battery shunting and hydrogen locomotives. We’re asking how we service routes that will never be electrified but still need freight capability in a decarbonised world. What sort of equipment do we need to invest in? How can we devise solutions to promote growth across the market? And these are all issues being asked across the sector.”

Showcasing technology

Neil said: “While RFG must remain independent, it can promote technical innovations from its members and we’re particularly keen to showcase technology, new services, new terminals and other developments, so there’s a lot going on to provide members with opportunities to engage with the wider membership and the wider industry.

“RFG’s role is to support and be supported by freight operators and the wider freight community to make sure rail freight is represented as a solution for many of the challenges ahead and that the Government is persuaded of the case for a vibrant and sustainable rail freight community.”