GB Railfreight has begun operating a new intermodal service this week, connecting London Gateway with iPort in Doncaster.
Using new FEA-G intermodal wagons (each carrying six twenty-foot units), the service will run five trains a week between the two ports, providing a regular service for businesses.
GBRf says that every time the service runs, it takes 129 HGVs off the roads.
Last year GB Railfreight took delivery of its final batch of FEA-G intermodal wagons on lease from Porterbrook.
Julie Garn, Head of Intermodal at GB Railfreight said: “We always aim to innovate our services to best meet the needs of a changing and demanding market. We believe this new service will unlock a further opportunity for existing and new customers to support their efforts and reduce their carbon emissions. Every time one of our trains runs, we remove up to 129 HGVs from our congested roads and help move us closer to net zero.”
John Trenchard, UK Commercial & Supply Chain Director at DP World, said: “DP World is delighted with the announcement of the new GB Railfreight service between London Gateway and iPort Doncaster. Not only does this demonstrate DP World's support for the Government's modal shift ambitions, the service will complement our growing range of port-to-port capabilities and our focus on providing low carbon solutions. At a time when the pressure to manage costs, maintain reliability and improve speed has never been greater, helping our customers stay competitive is vital, and this new GB Railfreight service will help our customers do just that.”
Steve Freeman, Managing Director at iPort Rail said: “I am delighted to see the new arrival of a daily service connecting London Gateway and iPort Rail Doncaster. The introduction of this service is further proof of the strategic positioning of the iPort Terminal on the UK logistics map. It is also testimony to the strong relationship the Port has built with GBRf, which continues to grow, in providing the UK supply chain with excellent connectivity and service levels.”
You all fail to realise there is perfectly good reason why the freight came off the rails en masses back in the 60’s. It was slow and expensive.
These containers, when they come off the ship in Gateway will not all be loaded onto a train immediately. These containers destined for import may be on different ships that dock on different days. Effectively, the first container could be in Gateway for days before the last one destined for iport arrives.
Then you can reverse this process at iport for the offloading procedure, admittedly not so protacted. An HGV could be in Gateway, loaded and at its destination, somewhere in Yorkshire, by the time the train is half loaded in Gateway. All well and good putting it on a train as long as you are not in a hurry for it.
Alternatively, and I may be radical here, maybe we should do something about the motorways being rammed with cars on a daily basis. It’s much easier to place humans on a train than it is for putting containers on a train. Most of the cars I see on my daily journey’s have one passenger, the driver. Getting the people on the train will cut far more of the emissions, that are always muted,rather than eradicating the HGV,s and slowing down the economy even further.
Does anyone know which route these intermodals will take
Rainham, Barking, Stratford, Canonbury, Finsbury Park then ECML to Doncaster,
And what do we do when the train drivers strike?
Also, it does not take HGVs off the road. They are needed at either end.
Another half baked idea!
And what happens when the train drivers go on one of their many yearly strikes.
We have not been on strike, you mix a FOC up with a TOC.
And how do those containers reach their destinations and distribution centres??? By HGV. !!
You’re missing the point… the HGV journey for each container will be so much shorter thanks to the rail link!
Didn’t we do this 40 years ago with trains departing from Rail Head at Tilbury docks loaded with containers
Good to hear
40 years ago I looked after a smaller scale of traffic, but we saw 900% improved utilisation of tractors & drivers who were able to work local rules & were never more than 25 miles from the railhead moving whisky to Glasgow & getting home after every shift
Over past 15-20 years when travelling (always overnight) on M6 or other trunk routes I noticed that traffic has literally dropped the off a cliff & roads are deserted- can travel 50 miles (A66) & not see another vehicle at 2am
Must chat to Julie Garn about further innovation smaller rail/water options can move say 400T to Leeds/Barnsley &c with ways to get 2-way loads & no crane tipping or lifting with basic skeletals & integral ‘lifting’
Ah yes. Takes so many lorries off the roads…. no it doesn’t 😀
Let’s say it takes off the claimed 129 HGVs off the road.
How do the containers arrive and leave the rail terminals?
Now instead of 1 hgv taking a container from A to B.
You now have 1 HGV taking a container from A to the rail terminal, and then a 2nd HGV taking it from rail terminal to point B.
Now to move 129 containers you use 258 HGVs instead of 129. So you’ve doubled the amount.
Add in the fact, that, the train is covering the distance where mainly a HGV would otherwise be on the parts of the road network that were designed for freight initially.
I’m all for using rail freight. But you can’t justify it with false figures.
It does NOT take HGVs off the road.
London gateway is a container port. Arrival by ship…
You couldn’t be more wrong, Josh!!! If the total journey is, say, 150 miles, with the final 20 being from Doncaster iPort to destination, you’ve removed 129 HGV lorries for 130 miles of the journey! Energy usage and omissions are much lower using rail. Particulates are virtually none existant with rail.
You have a wagon being pulled off a ferry at the departure point and driven probably 1/4 of a mile before it’s loaded onto the rail wagon, and then it heads North to Doncaster. This isn’t about the number of trucks, it’s about the energy and emissions per tonne per mile for the journey and they are greatly reduced by using rail for the bulk of that journey!
Not to mention the improved speed. I’m assuming these trains will run and cruise at 75mph, almost 20mph faster than a HGV; I can imagine this will mark up the average speed of the journey significantly considering how congested north-south trunk roads like the M1 get.
Let’s hope this service runs well and removes HGVs and polution from the roads. Its a pity that in the 60’s road transport was seen as the future rather than maintaining and improving our rail, canal and bus services.
I bet the road transport association don’t like this.
What are you talking about John rail freight and HS2 are completely different systems and this service is at the opposite side of the country
You obviously have no idea regarding rail freight
Show this to all the HS2 non believers and moaners of rail capacity advancement !!!