To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 835W, on railways: freight, what his Department's policy is on where on a stretch of motorway rail freight interchanges should be sited. (268897)

The Strategic Rail Authority document ‘Strategic Rail Interchange Policy’ of 2004, which can be found at:

www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/freight/railfreight/railfreightinterchange.pdf

is still the basis for the Department's policy on rail freight interchanges. It does not specify locations on the motorway network where rail freight interchanges should be sited, but does state that such interchanges should have “high quality links to the motorway and trunk road network”.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 835W, on railways: freight, what the position of (a) the Highways Agency and (b) Kent Highways was on the proposed Kent International Gateway development; and if he will make a statement. (268898)

The position of the Highways Agency is that further clarifications are required from the developer about the impact of the proposed development. At present the Highways Agency's view is that the proposal might be detrimental to safety and journey time reliability at Junction 8 of the M20 and the developer might be able to offer mitigation measures to offset this issue. The position of Kent Highways is a matter for Kent county council.