Southampton's Modal Shift Programme is being extended until the end of next year. It encourages cargo owners to move their imported containers by rail to a railhead within 140 miles of the logistics hub, rather than using lorries. Since the programme's launch in September 2023, the share of rail freight in Southampton has increased from 21% to 30%. As a result of its success, four new daily rail services have been launched in Southampton, bringing the total number of weekly scheduled trains in Southampton to 172.
The financial incentives have been reviewed quarterly. From October, they will be reviewed every six months. The scheme has already helped DP World meet its target of taking 300,000 lorry trips off UK roads yearly and saved customers and supply chain partners around 6,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first half of the year.
“Due to the positive increase in the share of rail freight since the trial’s inception, we believe that we can target a 40% share of rail freight target in 2026,” said John Trenchard, Vice President UK Commercial & Supply Chain at DP World.
Besides the Southampton and London Gateway hubs, DP World offers logistics, freight forwarding and European transport services, all integrated into a global network that handles 10% of world trade.
