Freight made a return to London’s Euston station this week as a second trial service pulled into the station.
TNT Express, in partnership with Colas Rail, Intermodality, Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL), ran a freight train from Rugby to Euston on June 4-5 to demonstrate the benefits of rail freight as a way of transporting product directly into the centre of the capital.
The goods, which were bound for Staples and Bristan, were sorted on the platform side before being delivered to stores around London.
Simon Harper, director of operations, TNT Express UK & Ireland, said: “We are very keen to understand whether, by potentially supplementing our core road network with selected rail services where feasible, we may be able to better support our customers and their businesses with an even faster and more reliable service.”
The aim of the trial is to create an attractive case for opening up more of the UK’s major passenger interchanges to freight operators.
In 2012, Eddie Stobart and Colas Rail delivered goods for Sainsbury’s into Euston using a refurbished fleet of wagons which had been rescued from Long Marston where they were going for scrap.
Ian Wainwright, head of freight and fleet at TfL, said: “This new trial will help in understanding how major cities can re-integrate this delivery option along with the recent growth in rail passenger journeys, helping to shift freight back onto the rails and free up local roads while reducing emissions by using the cleanest vehicles available.”
