Communiqué d'Exel :Railfreight operations break records at Daventry

__________________
Daventry, UK – 21 December 2004) Daventry International Railport, now operated by Exel, reports that 2004 will be its busiest year since operations began in 1997. Full-year volumes handled are expected to be nearly double those of two years ago.

The Railport's success heralds a resurgence of interest in railfreight in the UK. It also follows the addition of new services over the past year or so, including domestic routes to and from Felixstowe and Scotland – which are proving popular with customers.

Managers at the Railport, located at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) Logistics Park at Crick in the English Midlands, predict that full-year volumes for 2004 will be 57,500 units (i.e. containers and swap-bodies handled), compared with 29,631 in 2002 and just 12,978 in 1998. Last week a record 1633 units were handled, compared with fewer than 600-a-week just 18 months ago.

Exel, the global leader in supply chain management, has demonstrated its commitment to railfreight in the UK with the investment of almost £1 million in new equipment for the Railport – namely the purchase of three new Kalmar DRF450 mobile reachstackers, costing around £300,000 each.

Martin Graham, Exel's Managing Director – Integration, whose responsibilities include overall management of UK intermodal activities, explains, "Railport operations have benefited from increased competition in the railfreight sector with the arrival of new companies, and there is now better timeliness and reliability, while costs are competitive with road transport. There is no question that railfreight is back on the map.

"When you factor in increased traffic congestion, especially around the southern ports, the case for putting more freight on to rail becomes strong.

With the present shortage of truck drivers about to be compounded by the EU Working Time Directive, which will impose a 48-hour average working week from early next year, the case for rail starts to look strong. And that's before considering the environmental benefits."

Daventry International Railport is strategically located between the electrified West Coast Main Line and junction 18 of the M1 motorway – a maximum 4.5 hour drive time from 85% of the UK's population. It is one of the country's few terminals capable of coping with full-length Channel Tunnel trains, and is designed to handle unitised freight (containers and swap-bodies) from across the UK and Continental Europe. The terminal offers open access to all.

Daventry International Railport was the first UK terminal to serve the Trans-European Combined Transport Network – an interconnected backbone of primary rail and road routes linking all Europe's major commercial and population centres. Today it is responsible for more Channel Tunnel intermodal freight traffic than any other terminal in the UK. Every day on average it lifts, stores and loads sufficient containers and swap-bodies to fill a freight train three miles (4.7km) long – moving them either on to rail towards the start of their journey or off on to road vehicles towards the end.

The Railport covers an area of 25 acres (10 ha) and features five 750 metre reception tracks, plus four 350 metre-long tracks within the intermodal Railport area. The facility may be served by both diesel and electric main-line locomotives and operates 24 hours-a-day, six-days-a-week. A wide range of continental and domestic services is available, including regular routes to the industrial centres of mainland Europe, Scotland and the UK ports.

Exel's Railport Manager, Barry Faries, adds, "2004 has been a busy year for the Railport but our staff have coped magnificently. Many have put in long hours and we thank them for their commitment and dedication. Although we expect volumes to fall back slightly after the Christmas peak, the future for the UK railfreight industry in general, and Daventry International Railport in particular, has not looked brighter for many a decade."
?


Voir aussi : http://www.tbg.co.uk/railterm.php
______________________________________
Pour adhérer à ma liste de diffusion envoyer un message à :
salini-request@ml.free.fr

Mettre subscribe en objet du message
----------------------------------------------------

Posts les plus consultés de ce blog

DSP aériennes corses 2024-2027 : Acteurs et logiques

Dsp aériennes corses : de la méthode