In its first year of operation, DP World’s Modal Shift Programme in Southampton has removed 64,300 truck journeys from UK roads and cut carbon emissions by more than 17,000 metric tons, boosting sustainable logistics in the country.
Launched in September 2023 to improve the commercial viability of rail transportation for import laden containers, the Modal Shift Programme has so far boosted the share of rail freight at DP World Southampton from 21% to more than 30%, with ambitions to progress this further toward 40% in 2026.
Under the program, customers are paid an incentive for each container moved by rail from DP World Southampton to a railhead within 140 miles. In the first 12 months of the initiative, four new rail freight services were launched to provide more options for DP World customers, including routes from Southampton to Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands Gateway and Doncaster.
Last month, DP World launched a second rail service between its Southampton and London Gateway logistics hubs, doubling the rail freight capacity between two of the UK’s largest container ports, providing the potential to remove up to one million road miles annually.
John Trenchard, vice president – commercial and supply chain, DP World in the UK, said, “The outstanding success of the Modal Shift Programme at Southampton in its first year is testament to our commitment to provide customers with more choices for their supply chains. With this significant increase in rail freight volume, equivalent to the transfer of approximately six million road miles to rail, we are giving more of our customers the opportunity to explore the benefits of rail to the sustainability and resilience of their containerized supply chains.
“This achievement not only reflects our goal to become the most efficient and sustainable logistics provider in the UK but also illustrates DP World’s commitment to achieve net-zero across our global operations by 2050.”