DP World has recorded the 100,000th container to be moved from its hub at Southampton.
DP World has recorded the 100,000th container to be moved from its hub at Southampton.
The logistics firm has been operating its Modal Shift Programme trial since September 2023, during which the share of containers being carried by rail instead of road has risen from 21% to 30%. It wants to increase this to 40% in 2026.
The 100,000th container contained goods for Halfords.
John Trenchard, Vice President – Commercial & Supply Chain, DP World in the UK, thanked customers for making the switch to rail.
He said: “Reaching this groundbreaking milestone of an additional 100,000 containers moved by rail rather than road is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team to make the Modal Shift Programme trial the success it is now.
“Through a combination of detailed analysis, customer engagement and responding to new market trends, we have further refined the programme trial since its launch in September 2023 and set our sights on continued growth in the share of rail freight for the onward journeys all containers make after arriving at Southampton.”
So far, the Modal Shift Programme has removed 25,000 tones of CO₂e from supply chains and removed eight million lorry miles from the road, including the often congested M3 and A34.
To incentivise rail usage, DP World refunds the £10 levy it puts on every fully-laden container that arrives at the port if it's taken more than 140 miles by rail.
Daily services now operate from Southampton to hubs at Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands Gateway and Doncaster.
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