TWO borough ports have this week launched new rail services that will see hundreds of HGV movements taken off the roads each month.

A new weekly service between the Port of Tilbury 2 and Manchester will take place each weekday, while DP World London Gateway has added a second weekly rail service between its hubs and those at sister port Southampton.

That additional service alone is estimated to contribute to slashing carbon emissions by cutting more than one million truck miles a year.

The new mid-week train is operated by Freightliner and augments an existing weekend service, providing customers with increased access to extensive storage and handling, freight forwarding and delivery services at London Gateway Logistics Park.

And Freightliner is also heavily involved in the operation of the new service between the nearby Thames 'roll off, roll on' terminal at Forth Ports' Tilbury 2.

Freightliner, along with several industry partners, celebrated the launch on a wet and windy Monday (30 September) of the new Tilbury2 to Manchester Trafford Park intermodal rail freight service. This new service, is particularly significant as it was made possible by the Access Charge Discount scheme, recently launched by Network Rail to support the launch of new services and encourage shift of goods to rail.

Paul Dale, Chief Operating Officer at Forth Ports, commented: "Green rail logistics is transforming our customers' supply chains and this new service from our rail terminal in Tilbury2 is a prime example. The partnership approach between Freightliner, P&O Ferrymasters and Forth Ports has created a tailored solution that will help drive sustainability up-and-down this important British supply chain."

Representatives of the partner organisations celebrate the launch of the new service at Tilbury2

John Freyne, Director Intermodal at P&O Ferrymasters said: "We have successfully implemented numerous rail corridors across Europe in collaboration with our valued customers. We are pleased that the industry has worked collaboratively to make this new UK service a reality. 

"We expect the roundtrip train to take around 10,000 trucks off busy UK roads annually, enabling us to remove thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions from the supply chains of our customers. Adding a UK rail service to our extensive European Multimodal network has been a key goal for us, and we are delighted that the new Network Rail scheme has made this possible."

Thurrock Nub News broadcast live from the Tilbury launch.

The new scheme, announced by Network Rail, offers six months free track access charges to support the launch of a new rail services, helping to shift from one mode to another and incentivise businesses to use rail freight.

Thurrock MP Jen Craft says: "Rail is central to the growth of the green economy, and I'm pleased to see the proactive steps taken by Network Rail, Forth Ports and its partners to deliver this daily rail service carrying food and other essentials across the country." 

Customers using the new rail service between Thurrock and Southampton can also benefit from DP World's Modal Shift Programme, a financial incentive for customers to move import-laden containers via rail to railheads within 140 miles of it Southampton logistics hub. The programme has already boosted the share of rail freight at Southampton from 21% to more than 30%.

John Trenchard, Vice President – Commercial & Supply Chain, DP World in the UK said: "Launching a second rail service between London Gateway and Southampton is the next logical step for DP World, given the clear benefits for our customers. 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."

The first weekly service between London and the Port of Southampton was launched in 2022 to enable swift and reliable freight transit between the two locations.

Last year, DP World introduced "modal shift" incentives to use rail in September, paying £70 to customers for each shipping container switched from road and then £100 from January.