Manchester, UK: The freight and logistics sector in critical North of the UK could by 2050 be worth more than £30bn and employ more than 500,000 people, according to a new report.
The Freight and Logistics Strategy for the North of England, launched today by Transport for the North, is the first pan-Northern Freight & Logistics Strategy of this type and complements Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan in developing a multimodal freight strategy for the North of England that meets the current and future requirements of the region and the UK economy.
The three key areas of activity underpinning the strategy are:
- The importance of accelerating delivery of the TfN Investment Programme interventions to support the North’s economy
- The need to accelerate measures that support the move to zero carbon
- Strategic policy positions that can be used by partners to deliver the strategy effectively
“The Freight and Logistics sector remains vital for the North as identified through the Northern Powerhouse Independent Economic Review. This means it has a huge role to play in closing the 25% productivity gap between the North and South of England,” Transport for the North says.
“The sector represents a huge opportunity for the North and a key issue for the UK given that more than 33% of goods enter through the Northern ports, 25% of GB freight starts in the North, and the same proportion of journeys end in the North.
“The strategy also looks at the importance of a multimodal freight network covering road, rail, ports and inland waterways in the North and identifies challenges such as a shortage of warehouse capacity (especially rail connected warehousing), lack of reliable and efficient east-west connectivity across the Pennines, and a disproportionate reliance on ports in the south of England,” Transport for the North says.
Martin Tugwell, chief executive, Transport for the North, said: “Our Freight and Logistics Strategy, which covers road, rail and waterway freight, reveals the data that drives the sector and identifies the opportunities for decarbonising the sector. It is an important piece of work not just for those who work in the sector, but for the general public and business community.
“The need to decarbonise our transport system also creates the opportunity to harness the potential of the North’s cutting-edge technology to deliver a transport system that is not only fit for the future, but which is sustainable in the longer-term. The drive to reduce the carbon impacts of freight and logistics runs through this strategy and works hand in glove with TfN’s Transport Decarbonisation Strategy.
“We have a clear vision and want to see continued growth in the sector that will help unlock the economic potential of the North. Our approach puts the needs of the user at the heart of our work for only in this way will our solutions deliver real results for businesses and communities.”
Lucy Hudson, principal policy officer freight and logistics, Transport for the North said: “Freight is no longer the Cinderella of transport. We have made our big entrance to the ball. This comprehensive strategy sets out a suite of freight and logistics objectives for the North of England, a detailed description of the network and pinch points, additional TfN activity on decarbonisation, strategic rail, freight analysis and TfN’s future travel scenarios and how these activities relate and contribute to TfN’s freight and logistics activity.
“Through the recommendations agreed by the TfN Board, we have a clear steer on how to make progress and I look forward to working with partners, the Department for Transport, the railways and businesses across the sector.”
Freight by road accounts for 90 percent of all tonnage moved in the North. The strategy considers freight requirements across road, rail, port and inland waterways in the Transport for the North region. We will work with partners, government, delivery bodies and the industry, to reduce journey delays, and support less polluting and more energy efficient movement of goods. We’ll support the change from moving goods by road to rail and water.”
