More bad news for the environment.

[swisstrains]

Story from today's Liverpool Daily Post:

DOZENS of foreign lorries will soon lumber across North Wales each week
laden with hundreds of tons of aluminium ingots which used to be moved
by rail.
An unnamed east European haulage firm has won a contract to transport
the 800 tons of ingots from Anglesey Aluminium in Holyhead to Austria.
The ingots were being transported by railway company EWS, but it is
believed the Austrian firm switched to using east European truckers
because it was cheaper.
An estimated extra 100 trucks a week will now trundle slowly along the
congested A55 on the first leg of a 1,000 mile journey – generating five
times the carbon emissions of a freight train.
The ingots eventually end up at Austria Metall AG’s plant based in
Hitler’s birthplace, Braunau-am-Inn, where they will be used to make
products like drinks cans.
The last cargo of ingots to go by rail left Holyhead at the weekend.
EWS railway spokesman Graham Meiklejohn said: “This rail traffic will
end shortly due to cost pressures from eastern European road hauliers.
“The partners across Europe involved in this rail operation are in
discussions with the customer, and it is hoped that the traffic will
return to rail in the coming weeks.
“The return of this traffic to road will not only increase road
congestion in North Wales, it will also result in more CO2 emissions.
Rail freight services emit five times less CO2 per tonne mile compared
with road haulage.
“It is hoped the movement of this traffic by road is on a very
short-term basis.”
Rail enthusiasts said each trainload would add up to 100 additional
lorries on the already busy A55 every week.
Brian Thomson, of Abergele said: “The North Wales mainline is an
under-used asset while the adjoining A55 is full to bursting point
“The Welsh Assembly and the Westminster Government should be making it
easier for companies such as Anglesey Aluminium to move heavy loads in
and out of North Wales by rail.
“This train is one of just three freight trains from Anglesey that use
rail while the Port of Holyhead generates enough traffic to keep four
ferries in business.”
Another enthusiast, Martin Orr, from Bangor, said: “Government officials
who harp on about cutting carbon costs are doing nothing to stop this
sort of fiasco happening.”
A spokesman for Anglesey Aluminium said the decision to switch from rail
to road transport was out of their hands.
He said: “The customer is responsible for the mode of transport from the
facility. This decision has nothing to do with Anglesey Aluminium.”
No-one at Austria Metall AG’s plant in Braunau am Inn was available to
comment on the switch from road to rail last night.

eryl crump