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Campaign for Better Transport supporters delivered a giant postcard to the postal service’s head office in central London with the message ‘Mail belongs on rail’
Public transport campaigners have appealed to Royal Mail to reconsider its recent decision to axe its fleet of mail trains.
Campaign for Better Transport advocates presented a giant postcard at the company’s London HQ this Friday, emblazoned with the slogan “Mail belongs on rail”. Last month, Royal Mail announced their nearly 30-year-old red freight trains were at the end of their operational lives and has no plans to replace them.
The final trip by the fleet took place in August. The firm had vowed to keep post on the rails through other train operators, launching a trial earlier in September with a commercial provider.
Mail trains have been a fixture since 1830, and this sentiment was echoed as thousands joined CBT in signing the giant card addressed to Royal Mail chairman Keith Williams—who also chairs the Great British Railways Transition Team, tasked with rail sector reforms.
The card stresses: “Mail and rail belong together: they have been working in concert, connecting communities for almost 200 years.” The text of the postcard read: “Mail and rail belong together: they have been working in concert, connecting communities for almost 200 years.
“It is therefore vital that Royal Mail and the Government work to increase the amount of mail delivered by train, not risk pushing more onto the roads. After a year of record-breaking global temperatures, any reduction in rail freight would be all the more disastrous, increasing carbon emissions, air pollution and traffic on our roads.
“With your roles at both Royal Mail and Great British Railways, you have a perfect opportunity to find a solution.”
CBT head of campaigns Michael Solomon Williams described Royal Mail’s decision to decommission its train fleet as “tragic” but insisted “this need not be the end of the line”. He said: “Post is changing, not declining, and online parcel orders make the case for greener, faster deliveries, so Royal Mail should lead by example.
“It should reach out to the Government, which has professed its support for rail freight, and work with it to get deliveries back on track.”
Christian Wolmar, renowned rail historian and broadcaster, pointed out that mail has been transported via railways profitably for almost two centuries, insisting: “A way must now be found to continue that symbiotic relationship.”
Andrea Rossi, chief executive of DB Cargo UK—previously responsible for operating Royal Mail’s trains—said: “We are actively working with our stakeholders to find a solution to close the cost gap between rail and road to ensure that rail freight remains the backbone of reliable and sustainable logistics.”
A spokesperson from Royal Mail asserted the company’s practical use of rail transport: “We continue to use rail where it makes sense for the business and our customers. This month we began trialling a container service four-days a week between our Midlands Parcels Hub and the Scottish Distribution Centre.”
“Our own trains were 30-years-old and had reached the end of their operational lives. The absence of routes to meet our service requirements and a decrease in reliability influenced the decision. “Last Christmas, the number of delays on the railway that impacted performance had increased more than 10-fold compared to the previous year.”
“One delayed train has seven times the impact on quality than a delayed HGV, leading to more than 40,000 disappointed customers who do not get their item on time.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The economic and environmental potential of rail freight is significant, and we’re committed to supporting its growth. Under our plans to deliver the biggest overhaul of the railways in a generation, Great British Railways will have a duty and targets to grow the use of freight on our railways.”
