DRS begins 12-week trial of new intermodal service

The 12-week trial of a new intermodal service between Teesport and Trafford Park Manchester has started.

The DRS-operated flow got under way on February 3, just days after the Nuclear Transport Solutions-owned firm began its new aggregates flow in Cumbria.

The new intermodal flow uses ultra-low IDA wagons which allows the use of standard high-cube containers on routes previously inaccessible by rail. DRS says each train can remove 40 HGVs from the roads.

Gottfried Eymer, NTS’s Managing Director for Rail, said: “This trial offers a new route to customers who may not have considered rail before. It is an open access service which will amalgamate different customers to one train, saving time and cost.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for customers new to rail and we’d welcome anyone considering a switch to rail to get in touch.”

Trains serve the PD Ports-owned terminal in Teesport. Jo Edmenson, PD Ports’ Key Account Manager for Rail Freight Services, added: “Trans-Pennine connections for operators looking to move goods across the country have been confined to road freight for many years due to the constraints of the rail network, with height restrictions at stations, bridges and tunnels causing a number of issues.

“We’re excited to partner with DRS to offer this new service, direct from the UK’s sixth largest port to the heart of the north west. The route opens up a major new connection between the two regions and offers alternative means of shipping goods into the east coast of the UK and onwards, with the same true for exports.”