A new intermodal train service connecting DP World’s container terminals in the United Kingdom, at London Gateway and Southampton, is expected to boost the resilience of the customers’ supply chains and enable them to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two UK locations.

The train takes up to 120 lorries a week off the roads and cuts carbon emissions by up to 80%, according to DP World, which is planning to increase the frequency of the train next year.

This, along with other recent investments, is intended to reduce motorway congestion, with a total of 300,000 trucks removed from UK roads each year.

John Trenchard, UK Commercial & Supply Chain Director of DP World, commented, “This new rail service will make it even easier for our customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two locations, which means greater flexibility and choice.”

He added, “After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities. We are providing it, enabling customers to move goods smoothly and efficiently in and out of the UK and across their supply chains.”

DP World runs UK’s logistics hubs at London Gateway and Southampton, two deep water ports with access to freight rail terminals, and a rapidly expanding logistics park on the doorstep of the capital.

Between the two terminals, DP World moved a record volume of cargo in the first half of the year, with a combined total of 1.93 million TEUs.

Moreover, last month, DP World announced the start of construction at London Gateway’s new approximately US$423 million fourth berth, which will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024.

The construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs and the port-centric logistics park will employ a further 12,000 people when it is completed in five years’ time. DP World has also earmarked a further US$1.21 billion of investment in the UK over the next 10 years.