Freight grants 'welcomed' to reduce congestion and emissions

Government plans to increase rail freight grants to reduce emissions from road transport, have been welcomed by Freight on Rail.

The organisation said this approach offers a fast route to reducing road congestion and consequently the damage to air quality and the carbon footprint of the freight industry.

In total, the government will provide £61 million of funding for the three years between 2011-2014.

Philippa Edmunds, a campaigner for Freight on Rail, said: "Tonne for tonne moved, rail produces between three to five times less carbon dioxide - depending on cargo - than road freight."

She added that HGVs alone account for six per cent of road traffic miles and are responsible for 20 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from all domestic transport.

The Zoological Society of London claims that transport accounts for 29 per cent of the total carbon emissions in the UK.