1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144 
Good lines
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A JOINT venture between two hauliers at either end of a Railfreight journey is poised for expansion — after just three weeks of operation.
One of the hauliers described the system as a "middleman for other hauliers, or a total package for manufacturers".
Bristol-based Premier Transport told CM that any type of freight "within reason", can be collected throughout South Wales and Southern England for a manufacturer and dropped at the rail terminals at Exeter or Bristol.
Railfreight then takes the load to Glasgow, where Deanside Transit collects the cargo and delivers it in the area for the manufacturer.
A haulier could use Railfreight, take a load himself to Glasgow, and then deliver both consignments.
Premier Transport director Bob Russett told CM that unlike many hauliers it saw rail as an aid and not a competitor. He quotes a price of £204 from Exeter to Strathclyde for a 10 tonne delivery next day. By bypassing the problem of constrained drivers' hours there is more flexibility, speed and so lower costs, he claims.
Mr Russett, whose father is former Road Haulage Association chairman Harold Russett, is already talking about increasing the number of rail wagons on the trips. He is also looking at the Aberdeen rail terminal for future expansion.
Last week a new direct service between London and Glasgow became Railfreight's 150th Speedlink service. It leaves Willesden in North London at 7.45pm each weekday and runs direct to Mossend near Glasgow. The businesses associated with the new service — food, drink and agriculture — are the areas identified for development by Speedlink.
Speedlink was launched by Railfreight last year as a total distribution package deal. The launch of the new service now means that Speedlink's capacity on the route has risen to 2,840 tonnes a day. The 48-hour turnaround of wagons and the increased axle load of up to 25.5 tonnes aids productivity Railfreight says.