| Alternative Modes | Non-road modes of transport (air, rail, sea, waterway, pipeline) |
Artic / Articulated Lorry
| Lorry comprising separate tractor unit and trailer |
| Blue sidings | Freight sidings generally owned and maintained by a shipper and located on the shipper's premises. The term applies to private sidings transferred from British Rail under the Network Rail Transfer Scheme. You will find a precise definition of the blue sidings and the responsibilities of the shipper and us in the private siding agreements. |
| Bulk freight | Bulk freight. Mainly raw materials, e.g. minerals, aggregates, petrochemicals |
| C&D | Collection and delivery by road to and from rail terminals |
| CA | Connection agreement |
| Congestion | Traffic flow exceeds capacity of transport route |
| Container | Load-carrying unit constructed to internationally-recognised dimensions |
| CP | Connection point |
| CPO | Compulsory purchase order |
| Cube Out | Where a freight consignment completely fills the physical space of the load unit |
| DfT | Department for Transport - Government department with responsibility for transport |
| DRS | Direct Rail Services, rail freight operator |
| EC | European Commission - body that develops, administers and enforces European legislation |
| EU | European Union - the combined group of European states |
| EWS | English Welsh & Scottish Railway, rail freight operator |
| FFG | Freight Facilities Grant |
| FL | Freightliner Ltd., rail freight operator |
| FOC | Freight Operating Company, one which is licensed to operate freight trains on the national rail network |
| Freight Grants | Government aid, from the DfT, Welsh Assembly, Scottish Executive, to support freight projects that reduce road traffic |
| Freight Lifted | The tonnage of freight transported |
| Freight Moved | The tonnage of freight transported, multiplied by the distance transported |
| Freightliner Ltd. | Rail freight operator |
| Freightliner Heavy Haul Limited | Rail freight operator |
| GBRf | GB Railfreight, rail freight operator |
| GVW | Gross Vehicle Weight - the combined weight of a lorry and its payload |
| HGV | Heavy Goods Vehicle - any vehicle designed primarily for freight transport that exceeds 3.5 tonnes gross weight |
| High Cube | Lorry trailers and intermodal units designed with extra height for high-volume cargo |
| Highway Authority | Local authority role involving management of local highways not maintained by the Highways Agency |
| Highways Agency (HA) | Highways Agency, Government agency with responsibility for managing the trunk road and motorway network |
| Hub | Site where transport activity is concentrated |
| Intermodal | Movement of freight by more than one mode of transport (e.g. ship, train and lorry) |
| Intermodal Unit | Load-carrying unit designed to be carried on more than one mode of transport |
Just in Time (JIT)
| Means of supplying goods such that they are delivered to a customer as close as possible to when they are required, to reduce their need to hold stock on site |
Let siding
| All or part of a property used by an under tenant or licensee for receiving or delivering goods, services or materials by rail. This generally applies to sites that we lease to freight operators, which the freight operating company then sub-lets to another rail user.
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| LMD | Light maintenance depot
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| Load Factor | The amount of a vehicle's payload capacity taken up by its actual payload |
| Loading Gauge | Standard height and width dimensions for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures |
| Logistics | The management of complex distribution networks |
Modal Split
| Share of transport activity between different modes of transport
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| Network Rail | Not-for-dividend company that owns and operates the majority of the rail infrastructure of Great Britain |
| Network Rail connecting network | The network we own that is used only for moving rolling stock to and from your sidings (the orange network sidings).
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| Nominated location | A location clearly named in a track access contract between us and a freight operating company at a location at which a train calls for train working purposes, or starts or ends its journey.
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| Non-bulk freight | Mainly manufactured and packaged goods |
| Orange sidings | The part of our network that we maintain and provide only to connect your site to the network. The term applies only to our connection agreements but is similar in meaning to 'red sidings' for private siding agreements.
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| ORR | Office of Rail Regulation |
| Path | Time slot within the national rail timetable into which a train can be scheduled |
| Payload | The weight of goods carried on a vehicle |
| Piggyback Trailer | A road trailer designed to be lifted onto a railway wagon for movement by rail |
| PSA | Private siding agreement |
| Purple sidings | The network or sidings that are your responsibility and that are usually located on your property. The term applies only to our connection agreements but is similar in meaning to 'blue sidings' for private siding agreements. |
| RDA | Regional Development Agency - Government agencies created to foster regional economic development, policy and strategy |
| RDC | Regional Distribution Centre - a warehouse where goods arrive from various suppliers and are then combined for delivery to customers in a region |
| Red siding | A connection to a freight siding provided only for access from the main network to a private siding covered by a private siding agreement. We usually maintain ‘red sidings’ at the shipper's expense, although the exact terms of the private siding agreement may vary. The term 'red sidings' applies only to private sidings transferred from British Rail under the Network Rail Transfer Scheme. |
| Route Freight Manager | Network Rail staff responsible for co-ordinating rail freight operations through each Route |
| Rolling Stock | Rail vehicles for carrying freight
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| SFS | Strategic freight site |
| Stanox | Unique siding location number |
| Stockholding | Providing a supply of goods to ensure adequate provision for customer demands |
| Supply Chain | The movement of products from inbound raw materials and components through to delivery to end customers, in some cases including disposal of waste |
| Sustainable Distribution | Means of delivering goods to customers that seek to minimise the impact on society and the environment |
| Swap Body | Load-carrying unit constructed to European-standard dimensions |
| Tachograph | Electronic device in lorries that maintains a record of the hours which each driver spends at the wheel |
| TAG | Track Access Grant |
| TENS | Trans-European Networks - strategic transport and communications networks across the European Union, now incorporated as part of Railnet Europe |
| TEU | Twenty foot equivalent units |
| TMD | Traction Maintenance Depot |
| TOC | Train operating company |
| Tonne Kilometres | A measure of freight activity, tonnes lifted x distance moved |
| Track possession | An arrangement where train operations on a section of railway are suspended for a defined period of time, normally to allow work to be carried out. |
| Traction | Means of hauling a train, i.e. locomotive(s) |
| Transhipment | Transfer of freight to and from vehicles, warehouses and loading areas |
| Transit | Freight that travels through an area without stopping |
| Tripping | Short-distance movement of freight |
| Trunking | Long-distance movement of freight |
| W6-W12 | Network Rail loading gauge standards for freight vehicles |
| Weigh Out | Where a freight consignment exhausts the payload capacity of the load unit |
| WRD | Wagon Repair Depot |
| WTD | Working Time Directive - regulations that control the hours that workers may spend on a particular activity |
