The chaos on rail after Christmas did not just affect passengers, but also the distribution industry. Tony Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group spoke on the BBC Today Programme this week. He said that the key Daventry depot was cut off from the rest of the rail network and added that some supermarkets were very angry, particularly as they had to use many trucks at short notice to move the goods.

According to the Rail Freight Group’s web site: “It was particularly bad for the supermarket industry that has to provide 24/7 service to their customers to be told that supplies from the depots at the Daventry Terminal are effectively isolated by the WCML closure overrun. It is very disappointing for the rail freight industry, who have been working hard in the last year to encourage supermarkets to use more rail freight customers to be told – ‘sorry – no trains today with your supermarket goods. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by your shelves being empty!’

This highlights are vulnerable rail freight can be and underlines the advantages of road transport. What we need is an efficient rail service to move passengers, and freight to move by road.

It is worth noting that goods had to be carried by road. Maybe the longer heavier trucks (LHV’s) that the Rail Freight Group has so strongly opposed, would have helped when the rail was closed.

Of course the disuption on the rail is set to continue with more work to be done on the west coast main line. Incidentally railways receive about £5 billion a year.