UK logistics and freight forwarding company Davies Turner has announced the inauguration of a pioneering eastbound consol container service. It marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to enhancing global trade connections, not least by international rail freight routing. The service will provide a dedicated weekly rail route from the United Kingdom to China. At present, the intention is to shuttle loaded containers by road via the Channel Tunnel to join the company’s partner rail service from Rotterdam to Xi’an.

Davies Turner has long been recognised for its innovative approach to freight services, and this new venture is no exception. In partnership with Air Sea Transport, a seasoned player in the China rail sector, Davies Turner has consistently offered weekly rail services since 2016. These services have primarily focused on China-to-UK rail routes, catering to both full load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) shipments. Now, the company is seeing long-term recovery in the international trade between China and the UK, with sufficient traffic to warrant an eastbound flow. It’s an export drive that has met with a warm welcome from exporters and political stakeholders in the UK.

The result of successful trials

The availability of Davies Turner’s import rail services proved to be a lifeline for many clients during the pandemic, as they grappled with delays in ocean transit times, port congestion, and the cost-prohibitive nature of airfreight for large volume or dense cargo shipments. The primary goal for rail freight operations, say the company, has been to assist clients in streamlining their supply chains and reducing lead times, which became even more crucial during the pandemic when traditional shipping and airfreight routes faced significant challenges.

That perseverance has been rewarded. Recognising the rising demand and growing confidence in China rail freight services, exemplified by the 50,000th China-Europe intermodal train’s journey in February 2023, Davies Turner has decided to take its commitment a step further by launching a dedicated weekly eastbound rail service for LCL cargo. The move is the result of successful trials that demonstrated transit time savings of more than twenty days compared to traditional ocean freight routes. Davies Turner recently broke its own company record westbound, with containers delivered from Xi’an to their Purfleet depot in Essex in just fourteen days.

Over seven years of experience

Transcontinental rail freight operations offer the perfect platform to demonstrate all the advantages of the mode. Notwithstanding the issues of potential political instabilities en route (the Silk Road routings often traverse Russia for example) and the necessity of gauge change in former Soviet territories – rail freight still beats ocean freight hands down for speed. Clients can expect significant cost savings compared to airfreight, making it an attractive option for large volume or dense cargo shipments, and the increasingly important environmental credentials almost go without saying.

“Our new eastbound consol container service from the UK to China is a testament to our commitment to providing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients”, says a Davies Turner statement. “We are confident that this service will not only enhance trade connections between the UK and China but also offer a reliable and cost-effective alternative to traditional shipping methods.” Davies Turner’s journey in the transcontinental rail sector began in 2016 when they established the Express China Rail service in collaboration with their long-term partners at Air Sea Transport. That’s been over seven years of experience and successful operations. Perhaps it’s about time to send back some of those containers.