It is now estimated that around 25% of all imported goods arriving into ports in the UK are now delivered across the country by rail freight. There are reports of a continuing shift from using Lorries and road bearing vehicles to trains as an attractive method of delivery as increasing fuel prices together with improvements in the way cargo is managed makes road freight more expensive. Any future significant increase  is said by the spokesman from the campaign group  Freight on Rail to need infrastructure developments such as rail/road interchanges where goods can be transferred from rail to road and vice versa.

Companies researching providers of rail freight services need to look at the range of services provided by shipping companies for road and rail transshipment, whether these can manage a range of goods containers from conventional rail wagons to containers, swap bodies and tanks. Businesses often will require a full range of receipt and dispatch facilities, from loading to delivery. [Read more...]