DRS extends Tesco deal weeks after starting tenth route with supermarket giant

Direct Rail Services (DRS) has extended its deal with Tesco to continue carrying its goods across the UK.

The partnership between the rail division of government-owned Nuclear Transport Solutions is already 12 years old, with a new three-and-a-half-year extension announced on November 25.

DRS transports more than 12,000 Tesco containers every month, running a total of 98 trains a week from Daventry-Mossend, Mossend-Teesport, Daventry-Tilbury (x2), Tilbury-Coatbridge, Daventry-Wentloog, Daventry-Teesport via Doncaster, Mossend-Inverness and Daventry-Manchester, the last of which began on October 1.

Gottfried Eymer, NTS Rail Director, said: “The environmental and socio-economic benefits of using rail are well proven and we are delighted to be working with Tesco for at least another three years.

“Recently, we launched Tesco’s tenth rail freight service, removing thousands of lorries from the road and saving 6,000t CO2e per year. Rail emits 76 percent less CO2 when compared to road and each Tesco train takes around 40 lorries off the road.”