Cover Story
dioxide emissions by 76 per cent, it’s easy to see why rail freight is gaining popularity in the race to build cleaner, greener supply chains.
Whilst moving goods by road remains the most popular mode
of freight transportation in the UK, rail freight is poised to play a much bigger role in coming years. Currently, 95% of rail freight mileage is diesel; however, if a rolling programme of rail electrification is introduced, this will bring further environmental gains. DIRFT has been designed to take electrified trains and act as a regional hub for rail freight flows to and from the port of Felixstowe and the Channel Tunnel, which is a key part of the Trans-European Combined Freight Network.
Tesco is now the biggest retail user of rail in the UK and is so convinced of its benefits that it recently launched a new £5m investment programme at DIRFT to support its plans to transfer a greater proportion of its distribution network away from road and on to the rail network.
Tesco’s increased rail service is set to replace 40 truck-loads of road freight between Daventry and Middlesbrough per day. It will eventually save more than 5,000 tonnes of CO2 each year and remove over 3.9 million truck miles from the road, helping Tesco meet its ambitious carbon reduction targets.
Royal Mail is another company seeking to benefit from rail connectivity at DIRFT. Prologis is currently building the parcel delivery company’s largest UK parcel hub on site. The 840,000 sq ft building will be the size of over ten football pitches, with capacity to process over 1 million parcels per day. It will also include a dedicated rail platform and direct access to the new, state-of-the-art rail terminal, currently under construction.
The new terminal will feature a bespoke rail traverser outside the terminal building, at the end of nine kilometres of new lines. The traverser will be used to move Class 66 locomotives in a perpendicular direction to the tracks, so they can return to service after loading/ unloading. This has allowed the terminal length to be shorter, as a head shunt isn’t required. It spans 28 metres, has a capacity of 140 tonnes and comprises an access platform, plus loco buffer to prevent trains overrunning.
You don’t have to be a large supermarket or parcel delivery company however, to take advantage of everything rail freight at DIRFT has to offer. UK rail freight is a surprisingly accessible means of transportation for smaller companies who can choose to move single container loads or explore sharing loads with another company. Not only can this help to achieve cost savings and drive efficiencies, it can also reduce the overall carbon footprint of the good transported.
If you want to find out more about Prologis DIRFT visit
www.prologis.co.uk/our-parks/prologis-rfi-dirft/
Existing COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2021 5
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