Rail firm in talks to start UK mail deliveries

Transport operator FirstGroup is in talks with postal chiefs about putting mail back on the railways, it has emerged.

First subsidiary GB Railfreight (GBRf) is in “advanced negotiations” with Royal Mail about a deal which could see trains moving post between London, the north west, the north east and Scotland, Rail magazine reported.

Royal Mail controversially announced last June that it was ditching rail altogether, after 173 years of using the railways, in favour of road and air transport.

The state-owned postal group said it had been unable to agree a financially viable deal with incumbent operator English Welsh & Scottish Railway.

The Royal Mail’s historic Travelling Post Offices – the subject of WH Auden’s poem Night Mail – were abolished in January.

All other mail trains have ceased running apart from one service, which is due to end shortly.

Environmentalists claimed the decision would lead to more pollution and dozens of extra lorries on the UK’s already overcrowded road network.

Royal Mail said at the time that it had been planning to continue using rail, albeit for second class post only.

The group said it would consider any commercially viable proposals from rail operators to revive services.

It has confirmed that it has been in talks with a number of operators for several months.

Royal Mail said those discussions were continuing, but declined to give any other details.

A spokesman said: “If a deal is tabled that would give us a rail option at a good price, we’d look carefully at it.”

Under the terms of the proposed deal with GBRf, mail trains could begin again at the end of May, Rail magazine reported.

The deal would involve a total of five return trips a day on the West and East Coast Main Lines, the report added.

GBRf confirmed that its negotiations with Royal Mail were at an advanced stage, but declined to comment further, the magazine said. No-one from GBRf was today available to comment.

First Group runs bus services across the UK as well as the First Great Western, First North Western and Transpennine Express rail franchises.

First failed to make it on to the shortlist for the new Greater Anglia franchise and bought GB Railways, which ran Anglia Railways until April 1, last July in an attempt to re-enter the bidding.

However, First and rival group Arriva were defeated by National Express, which now runs Anglia, First Great Eastern and the West Anglia part of West Anglia Great Northern.

First’s GBP22 million acquisition of GB left it with GBRf and Hull Trains, which runs inter-city services between London and Hull.