34 | Tees Business
All aboard the
Teesport
Express!
New PD Ports Teesside-to-Scotland
rail service replaces 12,000 HGVs
P
ort operator PD Ports believes the
launch of its second daily rail service
between the North East and Scotland
will help confirm Teesside’s position as the
engine room of the Northern Powerhouse.
The Middlesbrough-based company has
invested a seven-figure sum in the service
in response to increased customer demand
and the demise of alternative options for
transporting goods including food, drinks
and furniture to and from the continent.
As well as being faster than transporting
goods via the country’s congested road
network, the Teesport Express is also
cheaper and reduces their overall carbon
footprint.
The two Scottish services will replace
around 12,000 heavy goods vehicles, saving
approximately 4.6m road miles and resulting
in a CO2 reduction of 5,950 tonnes.
The port launched its second Scottish
service, combining ferry and rail, to replace
an alternative three-times-per-week ferry
service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge which
had been withdrawn by its operator,
following a fire in the engine room in April
2018.
PD Ports increased capacity on its
existing rail service to ease the situation
in the impressive six-month period its
commercial and operational teams took to
commission the second rail service. During
this time they were able to identify and
secure a rail path, as well as sourcing the
necessary wagons.
They also worked with P&O Ferries to
agree an additional 25% capacity on its
ferry service to meet the extra demand, a
deal that was crucial to the viability of the
venture.
Senior representatives of P&O and other
key partners attended a locomotive-naming
ceremony at the Intermodal Rail Terminal
within Teesport, which is one of 13 PD Ports
locations across the country.
PD Ports CEO Frans Calje – who has
written to secretary of state for transport
Chris Grayling calling for more support for
the country’s rail freight infrastructure – said
transporting customers’ cargo by road using
its existing logistics network would have
been a simpler solution than introducing the
new service.
However, as well being aware that the
UK has a 52,000 shortage in the number
of HGV drivers it needs, he also believes
rail offers a more long-term, sustainable
solution to the country’s transport
requirements.
“Continuing to expand and strengthen
our rail freight offering is important to us,
as rail provides vital UK connections for our
customers and delivers environmental and
cost-saving benefits,” he said.
“These partnerships have laid the
foundation for us to integrate our services,
allowing us to offer faster and more
frequent transit between Scotland and the
continent to benefit our customers.
“We’d like to thank our partners who
have worked with us to make this service
possible, and we look forward to a strong,
ongoing relationship.”
Nick Pank, P&O Ferries’ head of freight –
North Sea, said: “This represents another
major step forward in the service we can
offer our customers, for whom Teesport is
the most reliable way to transport goods to