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Truck and Track Winter 2019 www.truckandtrack.com 78 RAILFREIGHT GB Railfreight are thrilled to announce the naming of a loco after longstanding colleague Chris Hopcroft MBE. Managing Director John Smith named a new Class 66 loco after Chris, with the ceremony taking place at Bristol Temple Meads station. Chris, accompanied by his wife and two children, was met by 50 of his closest friends and colleagues. Chris spent the last 60 years on the railways, providing outstanding work and dedication to all his roles, the most recent as a train manager for GBRf. Throughout his long career he has trained up colleagues and passed on vital technical knowledge of operations. His passion for, and service to, the railways was recognised in 1994 with an MBE for services to the safety of young people. Throughout his career, Chris has worked tirelessly to ensure every job he’s ever had was done to the best of his ability. The commitment that he has demonstrated every day since first starting has shown him to be an exemplary figure and inspired colleagues across the industry. GBRf Managing Director John Smith said: “It was my pleasure to name this Class 66 loco after Chris. Having started off at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up, Chris has boundless experience, and knows the sector better than anyone. “As a 42-year railway person, I am a mere beginner when compared to the iconic Chris Hopcroft who has clocked an amazing 60 years. I’m not sure in the modern world that this will ever be bettered. Not only has Chris contributed to our industry over a huge period of time, he has been the consummate professional throughout and has the wonderful habit of reverting to happy when things are going slightly awry. “He has a reputation in the industry for being a highly reliable and skilled colleaguewhomakes time topass onhis expertise and support modernisation in all aspects of the railway. We are proud to name this loco after him.” Chris Hopcroft said: “This has come as a complete surprise! Words cannot describe how much this means to me. Trains are not just a job for me – they’re my life and passion. “I love being part of the GBRf family and I am delighted so many of my colleagues were able to attend this special day. I am over the moon and cannot thank John enough for this.” GBRf celebrate longstanding employee with loco naming The British Ports Association is hosting its first Port Connectivity Summit this Spring to focus attention on the investment needed to better connect ports to wider transport infrastructure. This will bring together national and local policy makers to discuss how investment hinterland links to UK ports can be prioritised. As an island nation, Britain’s ports are gateways that enable productivity and prosperity, but more attention is required to support the outward, and inward, journey of freight. With 95% of UK trade arriving via our maritime gateways and a variety of other activities depending on ports the ports industry is keen that all tiers of government act to increase the capacity of road and rail networks to support the increased number of journeys from coastal regions. The UK National Infrastructure Commission has estimated that over the next 30 years, the amount of goods carried by freight transport could increase by between 27% and 45% and maritime tourism is also set to grow rapidly. This serves to evidence the importance of investment in transport links to and from our port gateways. The Port Connectivity Summitwill incorporate speakers fromacross the port and shipping sectors and parts of government responsible for transport policy and road and rail investment. The event will also spotlight specific case studies from ports and analyse these within the context of national spending. Commenting, Phoebe Warneford-Thomson, Policy and Economic Analyst, at the British Ports Association said: “The quality of the road and rail networks are critical for efficient freight movement and business growth. Good road connections are particularly vital for UK ports, handling up to 85% of port hinterland traffic. However, it is not just ports that benefit when investment is made in regional transport, but communities and commuters too. The squeezing of local authority funding in recent years has resulted in decisions over investment in the so-called ‘last mile connections’ to ports being put under pressure. This is not only poor for the efficiency of freight transport, but for the air quality, emissions and for public safety too. “There is also a significant case for expanding rail freight capacity at ports. Currently, one in four sea containers arriving at UK ports is carried inland by rail, but as each freight train takes 60 HGVs off the road, by increasing this capacity we can significantly ease congestion on already busy roads. Freight trains also achieve over 95% reliability in on-time performance, which would allow for the heightened efficiency of freight transport; ultimately enabling better growth and productivity figures. “Ports, which are independent of government, have invest billions of Pounds in their own infrastructure to boost their own growth and capacity. However they do rely on public investment for world leading road and rail connections. It is therefore vital that government works to ensure there is appropriate capacity on our road and rail networks, to and fromour international gateways and local and regional hubs, to meet this demand.” Joinus at the Port Connectivity Summit on24thMarch to reflect not only on the impact of the Port Connectivity Study over the past two years, but also on current port requirements and what needs to be done in the future for ports to remain as facilitators of international trade and regional growth. UK Port Connectivity Summit planned to discuss investment in road & rail links to ports PhoebeWarneford-Thomson COMBINED TRUCK & TRAILER SOLUTIONS 01543 420 121 www. deker .co.uk