As the UK emerges from the Coronavirus lockdown, GB Railfreight has announced a new intermodal train service from the Port of Southampton to East Midlands Gateway, in Derby.

This will be GBRf’s fourth daily service from one of the UK’s leading deep-sea container ports.

The new service marks the operator’s expansion in the intermodal market, will run 5 days a week and represents GB Raifreight’s 20th intermodal service.

SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is a 700-acre development with planning permission for up to 6,000,000 sq. ft of logistics accommodation.

The 50-acre intermodal terminal, managed by Maritime Transport, operates 24/7 and is able to accommodate up to sixteen freight trains per day.

An average freight train removes a minimum of 70 HGVs from the roads.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said: “I am thrilled to see the beginning of this new service. Our growth in intermodal shows GBRf’s dedication to innovation, offering flexible door-to-door solutions that meet our customers’ needs, as well as a consistently reliable service. We are very proud of the hard work that has been put in to be the industry’s trusted intermodal carrier.

“Today’s announcement also reconfirms GBRf as the rail freight company leading the way to grow the sector at a time of unprecedented economic challenge. In light of the COVID-19 crisis we are redoubling our efforts to put the UK back on track, while also doing our bit to decarbonise our economy.”

Stuart Cullen, Executive Chairman of Solent Stevedores, said: “Our rail terminal at the Port of Southampton was significantly upgraded last year increasing our capacity and efficiency and we are delighted to welcome an additional service from GBRf. Now with eight daily intermodal services from the Port of Southampton, this news further strengthens our position as a UK leading rail terminal operator.

John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal and Terminals at Maritime Transport, said: “We are thrilled to be kicking off the next chapter of our intermodal journey; extending our offering at EMG to provide UK businesses with even more ways of moving their goods from A to B at a time when the country begins its return to a new normal. We are incredibly proud of what our drivers and staff have achieved in such a short space of time; meeting our customers’ needs and unique requirements is at the very heart of what we do, and we look forward to providing additional services in the near future.”

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