Forth Ports has announced a partnership with Eddie Stobart and Direct Rail Services – with weekend service linking by rail. This will mean a connection via rail will be developed between the Port of Tilbury and Grangemouth, Scotland’s largest port.
The two-way rail service is set to begin on Friday, 28th of June. The launch is set to open up links between South England and Central Scotland. The first train will depart from Tilbury on the evening on Friday the 28th of June and arrive in Grangemouth the morning of Saturday the 29th of June travelling via Daventry.
They are set to use state-of-the-art wagons, managing a capacity of up to 36 containers overseen by Stobart – who will be completing efforts very closely with Forth Ports to provide the best service possible when moving these goods across the nation via rail. The return journey from Scotland’s largest port will see movement of goods such as spirits, chemicals and fresh food stocks like potatoes.
Rail is seeing heavier focus with the movement of goods, as the nation prepares to lower emissions and improve the air quality across the country. With more rail stations such as this being developed, the movement of goods could shift more towards rail across logistics.
Chief Operating Officer at Forth Ports, Stuart Wallace, spoke on the matter: “Linking our ports in the South East and Scotland by rail has been a priority for us and we are pleased to partner with Eddie Stobart and DRS on this new service. The service comes on the back of an increase in business at our busy container terminals and underpins our commitment to provide sustainable and cost-effective logistics solutions for our customers, aiding growth and competitiveness in the supply chain. This is the first time that a rail service truly links our ports in Tilbury and Grangemouth which opens up a number of import and export opportunities for our business and customers.â€
Sector Director at Eddie Stobart, John Clark said: “Eddie Stobart Logistics remains one of the only UK operators to offer genuine modal choice for customers, and we’re delighted to be able to extend our rail offering through our new partnership with Direct Rail Services and Forth Ports. Unlike many rail operators, our services are built in direct response to customer requirements – that’s why we’re introducing a new service that will link the Port of Tilbury to Grangemouth for the first time. We believe this will help to provide our customers with a cost effective and sustainable means of moving goods between Southern England and Central Scotland.â€
Chief Operating Officer at DRS, Chris Connelly, shared his views: “The DRS team are incredibly proud and excited to be working with Forth Ports and Eddie Stobart on this innovative project utilising our state-of-the-art locomotives and wagon fleet. Through partnerships such as these many more road miles can be saved and huge environment benefits will continue to be delivered by rail.â€