The man in charge of running a Cumbria-based rail business has fond memories of sleeping on a night train that also conveyed the family car and waking up in the south of France.
The recent return of night trains across Europe is just one example where the UK could follow, according to Gottfried Eymer who has had a lifetime association with the rail industry and brings experience as well as new ideas to Nuclear Transport Solutions’ rail division.
Appointed managing director earlier this year he joins the company at a time of change within the rail industry and has been speaking to Business Crack about his aims and ambition.
The passion of people involved in freight organisations is, Gottfried says, inspirational and is something he has witnessed previously across Europe and the Middle East in companies including Deutsche Bahn, Rail Cargo Group and Etihad Rail.
A qualified lawyer, his arrival in the UK with over two decades of international leadership experience in large transport, logistics and supply chain organisations comes at an interesting time within the industry.
A change in government, continuing debate over HS2 and the arrival of a new rail body – Great British Rail – are all issues Gottfried is getting to grips with just six months into the role.
“I was keen to learn how the UK runs its freight business and in a lot of topics the UK is ahead of Europe while with NTS I was attracted by the model of running nuclear trains alongside standard, freight commerce,” Gottfried said.
NTS was set up to provide specialist rail transport support for the UK’s nuclear industry. The Carlisle Kingmoor depot operates alongside a sister site at Crewe and a second at Motherwell.
The company acquired a fleet of locomotives to haul specialist cargo, specifically nuclear fuel flasks, for which two engines were used to meet stringent reliability demands. The fleet is also used on general freight services and for industry support roles, such as snow clearing and countering the effect of autumn leaf fall on rail lines.
The fleet, and the way it’s used around the network, is changing.
So-called bimodal locomotives, able to operate on electrified routes as well as using diesel power in areas where wires are yet to reach, have been purchased leading to the withdrawal and sale of diesel locos.
Although he confesses to being a fan of the class 37 diesel locomotives which he describes as ‘beautiful’, after around 60 years in service, Gottfried says the distinctive engines have served their purpose. All have now been retired in favour of class 68 diesels and the class 88 bi-mode locomotives.
“We still need the same number of people to look after and maintain the fleet, even though it is smaller, and we’re able to keep locomotives at work more often,” Gottfried said. “Environmentally we’re already able to contribute to reducing CO2 by transporting containers for Tesco. Now with more energy efficient locomotives we can demonstrate even greater benefits.”
The distinctive, lengthy trains regularly pass through Cumbria from Daventry to Coatbridge and Gottfried revealed there are plans to expand the partnership between DRS and Tesco in the future but, with details still in the works, it’s something to look out for.
“I think during Covid we all became aware of the need for a robust supply chain and during the pandemic it was clear that a train with just one driver and 36 containers was much more resilient,” Gottfried said, pointing out that goods transported in this way can be on shelves within hours of arriving.
“Companies like Tesco are looking to work with an organisation that can provide stability and resilience.”
The decision to shelve the full HS2 route could well lead to congestion on the west coast mainline as capacity on an already busy route is reached. So what about the future? How can the aim of making freight by rail be more competitive and reliable at a time when infrastructure is in demand and expensive to maintain?
Gottfried is keen for the rail freight industry to speak with a single voice when it comes to planning for the future. Great British Rail (GBR), the new body set up to bring all aspects of the industry together, is now operating albeit in ‘shadow’ form.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh announced earlier this month that there will be a statutory duty on GBR to promote the use of rail freight, alongside an overall growth target set by the Secretary of State.’ She added the Government will include safeguards to ensure that freight operators continue to receive fair access to the network.
This will be welcome news to Gottfried who confesses his main concern is about access to existing west coast route from the south to the north west and Scotland rather than opening new ones in areas he says are already well served by other operators.
Further electrification of routes should also be highlighted as a priority by the industry he feels.
Observers here have watched with some envy as night trains have made a return to Europe, something Gottfried describes as a rail renaissance that could happen here.
This, together with efforts to follow in the tracks of other countries who have shifted the road/rail freight split in favour of rail, is an area he hopes to help promote.
“In Austria 30% of freight goes by rail with 70% on road, much above the average in the rest of Europe,” Gottfried said. “This is something we can learn from; lots of little measures are needed to give rail freight the possibility to work on a level-playing field with road freight.”
With the green light given for Great British Railways and one of the most modern locomotive fleets in the UK, Gottfried Eymer says his next year will be spent developing business for Nuclear Transport Solutions in the nuclear and wider rail freight and logistics sectors.
“NTS’s work is of vital national importance”, he said. “I am very much looking forward to working with everyone in the rail business and the wider organisation to build on its reputation as a leading transport and logistics solutions provider.”
