Freight route doubles

A freight service linking two of the largest container ports is to double to two trains a week. DP World launches a mid-week service between London Gateway and Southampton docks on 1 October, adding to its established weekend service.

The train is operated by Freightliner on behalf of the port owner. DP World claims it will remove more than one million lorry road miles a year. The port-to-port service started in 2002, initially largely to carry bananas from Southampton. It has been part of Southampton’s award-winning modal shift programme, which offers customers a financial incentive to move from road to rail on journeys within 140 miles of the docks. Each fully-laden container arriving at the port is charged a £10 levy.

Boxes moving inland by rail over long distances get the £10 refunded. Those travelling shorter distances by rail receive around £70 back, with the cost covered by containers which continue by lorry. The aim was mainly to encourage rail delivery to the big distribution hubs in the Midlands. The programme has helped increase the share of rail freight at Southampton from one in five boxes to one in three in just over a year.

John Trenchard, DP World’s vice president for supply chain, said: “Providing a cleaner and more cost-efficient way to move cargo across the country is a key priority for DP World in the UK, and modal shift has consistently proven to be a reliable and flexible solution.”