A new daily intermodal service between the UK cities of Southampton and Manchester was launched by GB Railfreight on Monday 2 September. In the southern port, the train departs from Solent Stevedores, while it calls on the Maritime’s Terminal in Trafford in Manchester. It marks yet another addition to a growing intermodal network on the British island.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight (GBRf) commented: “I am thrilled to see the beginning of this new service. Our growth in intermodal shows GBRf’s dedication to innovation, offering flexible door-to-door solutions that meet our customer’s needs, as well as a consistently reliable service. We are very proud of the hard work that has been put in to be the industry’s trusted intermodal carrier.”

Intermodal growth

According to the carrier, the intermodal market has witnessed unprecedented growth over the last two years. “Intermodal traffic now accounts for approximately 36 per cent of all rail freight industry wide”, it noted.

For GBRf, the new service marks the 17th intermodal service to date, and the third
daily service it offers from the port of Southampton, a leading port in the UK. “GBRf is committed to increasing the amount of goods and materials transported
via rail freight, reducing emissions and delivering a more sustainable logistics
solution. An average freight train removes 80 HGV journeys from roads every day.