National Carriers N in f ceortz
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aunchesTransmode
.1ST TWO weeks after the birth of the employee-owned National eight Consortium its largest subsidiary, National Carriers, has unched another specialist service.
Called Transmode, it aims to it National Carriers back on the us — literally — by combining ternational rail-freight trunking ith National Carriers' road stribution/collection in the UK. At a particularly impressive ficial launch in London last eek NFC chairman Sir Robert mrence (who is also a member ' the British Railways Board) 3scribed Tra nsm ode as an "exting new product which exores the best of road and rail to ,e advantage of the customer." In fact the road/rail concept is A at all new; it can be traced 3ck to National Carriers' railay antecedents when NC was ritish Rail's Sundries Division. function then was to provide iad distribution for rail-trunked eight and so National Carriers pots have traditionally been 3ar the railways although the )mpany became increasingly lad orientated in the 70s.
Having swept away the weeds from the sidings of its 31 railconnected depots National Carriers is once again linking up with BR to promote rail trunking/road distribution but this time on an international scale in the shape of Transmode.
Group managing director of National Carriers, Brian Hayward, pointed out that the modern high-capacity rail ferry wagons can handle 54tonnes or 100cum of payload; and with 35,000 private sidings throughout Europe there plenty of potential. The long trunking journey across Europe is ideally suited to rail freight transport, declared Hayward.
Crossing the Channel via BR's Sealink service to Dover or Harwich, the rail wagons come to one of the 31 National Carriers depots (now called Transmode centres) where the goods are warehoused for delivery by road when required.
The same system works in reverse for UK exports although at present there is a trade imbalance and the emphasis of Transmode was put on imports, particularly bulk traffic such as chipboard, steel, fertilisers and chemicals.
Transmode is expected to turnover £3m this year, and £15m a year in five years' time.
BR chairman Sir Peter Parker officially launched Transmode and added: "I am deeply grateful for the faith that National Carriers has shown in the future of British Rail."