St Albans District Council in London has rejected plans for a new rail interchange at Radlett, sparking anger from the logistics industry.
Despite regular calls from the public for a greater number of goods to be moved off roads and onto rail, proposals to build interchanges have often met local protest.
Christopher Snelling, FTA head of railfreight policy, said common sense should take precedence in decisions on where to site rail freight interchanges and terminals.
He said: “We are all very conscious of our impact on the environment and we must all play our part to reduce carbon emissions. While the FTA fully understands that local impacts have to be managed and minimised, it is clearly in our national environmental interest that sufficient terminals are built.
“The railfreight industry has ambitions to almost double rail’s market share to 20 per cent over the next 30 years. The government is spending millions upgrading rail lines, and retailers and manufacturers are working to adjust their logistics arrangements to incorporate rail. But none of this will help if the freight cannot get on and off the network at the right place.”
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