The starting point for your scheme is to make contact with one of our Senior Route Freight Managers who provide support right across the whole network. Find the Senior Route Freight Manager for your area .
The Senior Route Freight Manager will provide outline guidance to developers in a number of areas:
- Identifying new sites and their potential
- Rail freight market potential of your scheme
- Terminal types and designs
- Network capacity and capability
- 'Ball park' cost estimates for new and refurbished connections
- Contact details for rail freight industry service suppliers, including:
- Freight hauliers
- Consultants
- Wagon and equipment providers
- Construction companies
- Introduce you to project and technical managers within Network Rail when your scheme moves forward towards construction
- Help and support as your scheme develops
It is possible that your requirements can be met via a rail freight location that is already in use, in which case the Senior Route Freight Manager can provide a contact with the existing user with whom you could negotiate access.
Formal proposals
If your scheme develops firmly towards procuring a new or refurbished connection the Senior Route Freight Manager will help the developer to put together a formal proposal which contains:
- An outline plan of the scheme
- Information about the rail market being sought
- Network impact, e.g. number of trains and where they may run
- Options for connection to the network
- Internal rail layout
This information will form the initial client specification for the scheme which we will assign to a Commercial Schemes Sponsor. The Sponsor will take forward the project, effectively taking over as your main contact from the Senior Route Freight Manager.
The Sponsor will ensure that the necessary expertise is procured to develop the connection works.
Once a plan has been agreed a commercial agreement will need to be signed which will set out your requirements and timescale for construction.
Next step:
Construction