DRS and port operator review intermodal flow after trial "successfully demonstrates route"

DRS and PD Ports are reviewing a trial intermodal service before deciding whether to continue with the flow.

A 12-week flow ran between Teesport and Manchester’s Trafford Park between February 3 and April 11, operating five days a week. It used IDA low- profile bogie flat wagons that can transport high-cube boxes (measuring 9ft 6in high compared to the standard 8ft 6in) across areas of the UK previously inaccessible by rail.

When launched, DRS said if it was successful, the flow would become permanent.

PD Ports, which owns Teesport, said trans-Pennine connections had been confined to roads “for many years due to the constaints of the rail network”, and said that while TransPennine Route Upgrade would hopefully improve things, the 2030 completion date was considered “too long to wait”.

DRS told RAIL: “The trial, while successfully demonstrating the viability of the route, has concluded and we’re working with our partners on the feasibility of continued flows on this service.”