Across the whole of the logistics sector, we are seeing a shift in the amount of businesses choosing rail as their preferred method of cargo transport.
As well as being a reliable and efficient service, rail is undoubtedly much kinder to the environment, and with sustainability as the sector’s current buzzword, more and more are making the switch.
With over 30 services a week currently running from rail terminals at Teesport, here’s how PD Ports’ rail services will get your business on the right track…
Environmentally friendly
Like many other businesses in the industry, we are passionate about reducing our impact on the environment – and rail is the perfect way to do so.
In growing our intermodal rail offering, we have taken approximately 12,000 HGVs off the road, saving around 4.6 million miles and reducing CO2 emissions drastically.
Our two daily services to Scotland in particular offer a vast reduction in CO2 emissions, saving over 6,000 tonnes annually during their return journeys from Teesport to Grangemouth and Teesport to Mossend.
The Government has heavily incentivised the use of rail over road in an attempt to reduce congestion, ease traffic delays and decrease the logistics sector’s impact on the nation’s carbon footprint.
Goods need to be transported, there’s no denying it, but PD Ports are firm believers that sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing speed and efficiency.
Efficient
It’s no secret that the number of HGV drivers on the road has slowly dwindled over recent years. In fact, the road haulage industry is currently facing a shortage of over 55,000 drives – a figure that is expected to further increase due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
Low uptake from younger generations and a national driver shortage means companies are finding it harder and harder to transport goods via road. This shortage has been looming over the last decade, but after the recent significant decline it seems it’s only set to continue.
Rail, however, is coming into its own.
In contrast to poorly-performing road haulage, rail transport has only improved, with services constantly growing and evolving to keep up with the market. Over 30 services a week now operate from Teesport alone, with more daily trains to Scotland than any other Northern port.
With set times and more certainty, rail services remove all the pain points of road travel, such as disruptions to schedules caused by traffic delays and severe weather.
Cost-effective
A larger method of transport inevitably means a larger load. Rail allows firms to move more cargo further, without seeing an increase in costs.
In addition, Teesport offers rail-connected warehousing which provides a truly intermodal, end to end service which is cost-effective and allows businesses to access markets around the world.
With 16 rail lines and three shunt locomotives readily available on site at Teesport, PD Ports also handles over 600 trains annually for customers in the bulks sector – further demonstrating that just about any supply chain can financially and environmentally benefit from using rail.
Many have been considering a move to rail transport for years, but in the current climate, it appears to be a better time than ever to put plans into action and make the change.
