22 January 2010

Domestic and international containers can be transported by rail on the network

Britain's newest rail freight terminal in Rugby has been inaugurated. Created with £1.0 million of private sector investment by DB Schenker, the former disused coal loading facility has been transformed into a modern rail freight container handling terminal. The facility is expected handle three trains per day and 50,000 containers per annum by the end of 2010.

The location of the terminal provides strategic access to Central England and is immediately adjacent to the Rugby, Lutterworth, Daventry and Coventry logistics parks. The location is also electrified, enabling DB Schenker to operate longer, higher capacity freight trains that provide retailers and manufacturers a unique opportunity to reduce their total logistics costs and CO2 emissions.

Initial services commenced in early January, with one train per day supplying just-in-time deliveries to supermarkets in Scotland. Additional services will be introduced in the coming months, with a mix of domestic UK container services and trains to and from mainland Europe through the Channel Tunnel.

Rail can be a quicker, greener, cheaper way for businesses to transport their goods, and the Government is investing £350 million in rail freight infrastructure, the most significant funding for many years. The new container terminal at Rugby will enable both domestic and international containers for retailers and manufacturers to be moved by rail on our network to national and international services.

With the opening of Rugby, DB Schenker now operates six inland terminals and also operates rail services to a further six independent terminals, thereby providing national coverage for intermodal traffic.