In a letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, ASLEF has called for greater public investment in rail freight, arguing that the sector contributes £2.45 billion to the UK economy. The train drivers’ union also wants a more level playing field between road and rail. It says the country needs investment in infrastructure and an expansion of publicly owned freight operations. It has also warned that the proposed sale of DB Cargo threatens the country’s freight capacity.
RailFreight.com has seen the letter sent by ASLEF General Secretary Dave Calfe to Burnham, setting out key issues the union wants to raise on behalf of its members. The letter welcomes plans for a rail summit to discuss the industry’s future, placing freight alongside rolling stock ownership and working conditions.
Rail freight to play a bigger role
In his letter, Calfe argues that rail freight’s economic contribution extends well beyond the railway itself. ASLEF says 90% of the sector’s economic benefits are felt outside London and the South East, making freight an important consideration in efforts to rebalance the UK economy.
The union wants investment in infrastructure to support growth and measures to address the competitive imbalance between road and rail. It also advocates expanding publicly owned freight operations, arguing that the government should intervene to protect capacity threatened by the proposed sale of DB Cargo.
Nationalisation central to union agenda
ASLEF’s freight demands form part of a broader call for greater public involvement in the railway. The union welcomes the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), describing it as a vital first step towards removing fragmentation. It says the radical reorganistaion will be vital to improving co-ordination and running the railway for the public good.
The letter, now published on the union’s social media channels, also calls for public ownership of rolling stock, claiming that leasing arrangements have taken £2.9 billion out of the railway through profits and dividends over the past five years. ASLEF argues that this money should remain within the railway rather than being channelled offshore. The proposal would extend public ownership beyond the integration of passenger services and infrastructure under GBR.
DB Cargo sale raises questions
ASLEF’s intervention comes as the future of DB Cargo UK remains uncertain. The union argues that selling the business poses a threat to national freight capacity and wants the government to step in. However, there is dissent within the railway industry over whether nationalisation offers a practical solution to the sector’s commercial challenges.
An unnamed industry insider questioned the case for public ownership of freight operators, arguing that DB Cargo’s sale reflected its lack of profitability. The source also suggested that restrictive working practices and a reluctance to allow other companies to work on locomotives and wagons had undermined competitiveness. The observer, a senior figure in the industry, also noted that rival company GBRf had grown into the UK’s largest freight operator.
Drivers’ welfare also on the agenda
Alongside freight and rolling stock, Calfe wants the summit to address working conditions for train drivers. ASLEF says drivers still spend too long without access to toilets, despite assurances from the industry, and is calling for reasonable opportunities to use toilet and hygiene facilities during the working day.
The union is also seeking a maximum working temperature for train cabs, citing previous recorded temperatures of 40–50°C, during the long, hot summer of this year. It wants the government to bring forward a promised review of health and safety legislation under Labour’s New Deal for Working People. The letter concludes with ASLEF looking forward to discussing these issues and others at the proposed summit.