High Volume Intermodal Rail Freight
inter
Intermodal is the fastest growing sector of the UK rail freight
market. Working as part of a series of positive partnerships
with several leading UK road transport businesses, DRS
has become a major player in the sector, providing true
door-to-door intermodal logistics for many of the nation’s
most successful retailers.
Whilst many road transport businesses battle for road
haulage, the leading names turn to DRS for the provision
of regular long distance freight solutions. DRS is currently
operating 64 trains each week on behalf of Stobart Group,
The Malcolm Group and The Russell Group; increasing
efficiency, cutting pollution and taking millions of lorry
miles off the UK’s congested motorway network.
Traditionally, containerised rail freight serviced only the major
ports, like Felixstowe and Southampton, collecting primary
loads bound for inland container ports in London, Leeds,
Manchester and the Midlands.
Domestic Intermodal Freight has emerged as a rail freight sub-
sector in response to the needs of road hauliers and the major
supermarkets they service. In the past, large-scale road
transport of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) between
the Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs), and from RDCs to
local DCs, meant huge numbers of trucks were travelling
regular long distance routes day-in-day-out. DRS’ intermodal
solution now transfers large volumes of freight onto rail for the
bulk of the journey, providing a seamless interface between
road haulage and transhipment by rail that reduces pollution
and road congestion, whilst delivering cost savings.
With an exceptional 95% on-time delivery performance record,
DRS has built high levels of confidence in the reliability of rail as
part of the JIT supply chain. As a result, where once only primary
volumes were transported by rail, now an ever-increasing
number of secondary flows - including critical RDC-to-store
deliveries - utilise rail as a core element of the logistics solution.
Key Benefits of the Intermodal Solution
Reliable:Consistent just-in-time deliveries that avoid motorway holdups
Cost-effective:Reduced DC-to-market costs
Environmentally responsible:Cuts pollution and reduces carbon emissions by two-thirds
Reduces congestion:Removes millions of lorry miles from the UK’s busy roads
driving uk intermodal freight
D I R E C T R A I L S E R V I C E S i n t e r m o d a l s o l u t i o n s
1
Working with leading UK logistics businesses and their clients
Stobart Group Tesco plcHighland SpringCoca-Cola Enterprises
The Malcom Group ASDAIKEADiageo
The Russell Group MorrisonsTate & LyleMars
DRS provides a complete package of intermodal rail freight solutions.
The DRS partnership with Stobart Group began in 2006 heralding the launch of Stobart Rail, which represented a groundbreaking
transport solution to reducing carbon emissions and the rising cost of fuel. Over time, Stobart Group and DRS have strengthened
their partnership to develop a collection of daily rail freight services on behalf of Tesco and a wide variety of FMCG manufacturers.
The trains are based on specifically commissioned containers that are packed at the customer site. The containers are then
transported to the railhead on Stobart skeletal trailers, where the containers are transferred to rolling stock for transport to their
destination. Return trips on the above routes frequently have highly cost-effective capacity available.
About Stobart Group
Stobart Group is a FTSE listed company employing over 6,000 people at 50 sites across the UK. Both highly successful and one of
the country’s best known companies, Stobart is an officially recognised business ‘Superbrand’. The company is a national leader in
the multimodal logistics, warehousing and biomass fuel sectors, as well as operating in the property development, ports, airports
and civil engineering sectors.
Rail Freight Route Frequency Rail Freight Route Frequency
Inverness/Mossend 6 per week each way, Monday-Saturday Grangemouth/Aberdeen 7 per week each way, Sunday-Saturday
Daventry/Mossend 6 per week each way, Monday-Saturday Daventry/Wentloog 6 per week each way, Sunday-Friday
Daventry/Barking & Tilbury 6 per week each way, Sunday-Friday
Return trips on the above routes frequently have highly cost-effective capacity available.
S T O B A R T G R O U P a n d D I R E C T R A I L S E R V I C E S
DRS works in close partnership with Stobart Rail Freight and its major name FMCG clients.
working with stobart rail
For further information on Stobart Group services, contact: Liam Martin, Stobart Rail Freight, Mersey Multimodal Gateway, Destoto Road, Widnes WA8 0PE. 0151 424 6724 / [email protected]
T H E M A L C O L M G R O U P a n d D I R E C T R A I L S E R V I C E S
DRS and The Malcom Group have been working together since 2001.
For further information on Malcolm Group services, contact: Group Head Office, Brookfield House, 2 Burnbrae Drive, Linwood, Renfrewshire PA3 3BU. 01505 324321 / www.malcolmgroup.co.uk
DRS and The Malcolm Group began working as partners in 2001. The services offered continue to go from strength-
to-strength. In 2008, Malcolm Rail, a division of The Malcolm Group, took over the management of the Daventry
International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) handling, amongst many others, DRS trains on a daily basis.
Malcolm Rail now provides a range of intermodal services which handle UK and European rail/road movements for
customers in the manufacturing, logistics and retail sectors including: ASDA, Ikea, Diageo, Sainsburys and British Gypsum.
About The Malcom Group
Originating as a family-owned business in the 1920’s, employing over 2,000 people, The Malcolm Group has become the
leading provider of Logistics, Construction and Maintenance services in the UK. Predominantly working across the UK,
strategic partnerships have enabled The Malcolm Group to expand their offering and customer base into Europe.
Rail Freight Route Frequency
Grangemouth/Elderslie 5 per week each way, Monday-Friday
Grangemouth/Daventry 7 per week each way, Sunday-Saturday
Daventry/Mossend 5 per week each way, Monday-Friday
Please contact The Malcom Group for information on cost-effective return trip rates.
partnering the malcolm group
DRS and John G Russell started working together in 2006 with the introduction of two weekday services between Daventry in the
Midlands and Coatbridge in Scotland. DRS provides trains and rolling stock to support the Russell Group’s UK Intermodal
offering for a series of major name customers including Morrisons, Tate & Lyle and Mars.
About The Russell Group
The Russell Group is family owned, based in Scotland and has 40 years experience of developing partnerships within the road, rail,
sea and air sectors. JGR partnered with DRS in developing the Inverness rail freight terminal, which they operate on behalf of DRS.
They also own and operate the Barking rail freight terminal.
Rail Freight Route Frequency
Daventry/Coatbridge, Train 1 5 per week each way, Monday-Saturday
Daventry/Coatbridge, Train 2 6 per week each way, Sunday-Friday
Daventry/Barking/Purfleet 5 per week each way, Tuesday-Saturday
Return trips on the above routes frequently have highly cost-effective capacity available.
T H E R U S S E L L G R O U P a n d D I R E C T R A I L S E R V I C E S
DRS has worked with The Russell Group and its leading FMCG clients since 2006.
on-track with the russell group
For further information on Russell Group services, contact: Ken Russell, John G Russell (Transport) Limited, Containerbase, Gartsherrie Road, Coatbridge ML5 2DY. 01236 703343 / [email protected]
Overall Length 14.75mPlatform Length 13.82m
Width 2.43mDeck Height 0.73m
GLW Containers
Maximum 20’ Capacity 2x 19.0 tonneMaximum 30’ Capacity 1x 28.5 tonneMaximum 40’ Capacity 1x 34.0 tonneMaximum 45’ Capacity 1x 34.0 tonne
Internal Container Length 14.75m
Container Height 2.9m
Internal Loading Height 2.13mRear Opening Door Height 2.07mDoor Opening Width 2.4m
Internal Length 13.6mSide Opening width 12.4m (between pins)
Internal Container Length 13.6m
ApertureHeight2.07m
ApertureWidth2.44m
Overall Length 24.40m
OverallHeight3.90m
Width2.65m
The Lowliner Fleet
DRS’ Lowliner fleet now opens up almost the entire United Kingdom rail network to highly efficient containerised freight services. ALL the
height restricted routes classified in the past as ‘W gauge’ are now available for freight using containers 2.9m high by 2.5m wide up to 45
feet in length. Regions now open include North Wales, South Wales, South West England, Northern Scotland, the West Highlands and the
Irish Republic and Northern Ireland via the leading Holyhead and Stranraer ferry routes, as well as key sea ports including Cardiff, Portsmouth,
Thamesport and Workington are now open to containerised loads carried by rail as a result of DRS’ introduction of Lowliners. The new
Lowliner offers maximum flexibility in the range of containers it can carry. 2.9 metre high containers may be 20 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet or 45
feet in length. 20 foot containers may also be doubled up on the wagon.
The Standard Fleet
The specially designed lower profile containers used on the Stobart Rail services are alternative solution to the issue of limited head room,
allowing the trains to use even small branch lines with restricted height. DRS works ion close partnership with Stobart Rail, The Malcom
Group and The Russell Group to operate 64 trains every week on behalf of the logisitcs companies’ major name clients utilising the standard
flatbed/low profile container configuration.
Class 66 Motive Unit
D I R E C T R A I L S E R V I C E S t h e f l e x i b i l i t y t o m e e t e v e r y n e e d
DRS operates a fleet of environmentally friendly Class 66 Locos, matched with standard and lowliner rolling stock.
Dispatch Point
The dispatch point may be a Regional Distribution Centre,National Distribution Hub, a Trunking/Cross-Docking site or aManufacturing Facility. Here containers are loaded withproducts ready for transport to the nearby Railhead, which inthe case of Daventry is on-site. Alternatively there may bemultiple local dispatch points, such as a series of a suppliers,each of which will pack and dispatch their own containers.
Destination
At the end of the train journey thecontainers are re-loaded on trucks towingskeletal trailers for the final leg of theirjourney. Whilst some major customersown their own inland port, frequently therail destination is a purpose-built railheadclose to the end user. DRS have utilisedtheir freight handling expertise to develop‘fit-for-purpose’ railheads on behalf of anumber of clients, including customerswithin the demanding nuclear industry.
Final Delivery
The final reception point may be aLocal DC, a Manufacturing orProcessing facility. Recently thereliability of rail over long distanceroutes has also led a majorretailer to choose rail for trunkingloads between Grangemouth andAberdeen, serving remote storesites in Northern Scotland. Thissolution avoids the holdups, costsand pollution associated withroad haulage on the notoriouslycongested roads of the region.
Road Transport
A short road journey transports the pre-packedcontainers from the dispatch point to the railheadwhere they are loaded onto DRS rolling stock.This leg of the route may be removed completelywhere the railhead is on-site at the dispatch point.
The DRS Train
The bulk of the journey between the original dispatch point and thefinal destination utilises rail. Trains typically carry around containers,cutting costs, congestion and carbon emissions. An addedadvantage of utilising rail for regular, high volume freight routes isreliability. DRS are officially recognised as the most punctual railfreight operator, achieving an impressive 95% on-time record.
Efficiency
Utilising a rail-based intermodal transport solution for regular, highvolume freight transport delivers a broad range of positive benefits.Transfer to rail cuts fuel usage by around two thirds compared toroad transport, as a result it delivers huge reductions in carbonemissions and pollution, whilst also offering significant cost benefitsand helping relieve congestion on Britain’s busy roads.
the intermodal solution
Dungeness
Tilbury/Purfleet
Willesden
Stowmarket
SizewellDaventry
Southminster
Devonport
Crewe
ValleyWidnes
Bridgwater
Southampton
Winfrith
BerkeleyCardiff
YorkHull
Seaton
Heysham
Barrow
Sellafield/Drigg
Workington
Carlisle
HunterstonCoatbridge/Mossend
Grangemouth
Inverness
Aberdeen
Torness
Dounreay
High Volume Intermodal Rail Freight
Direct Rail Services LimitedKingmoor Depot, Etterby Road, Etterby, Carlisle CA3 9NZ.
01228 406 600www.directrailservices.com
Photography by kind permission of Jonathon Bird, Ian Grierson, F. Glover, John McPherson, Graeme Elgar, Mark Baczkiewicz, Ralf Edge and Peter Robinson.
©2013 Direct Rail Services Limited. Designed/produced by www.carnewhitney.com 01228 596 895
Corporate Social Responsibility
Direct Rail Services is committed to working in a sustainable andresponsible manner. Our operations are carried out with the highestlevel of consideration for our stakeholders, their community andthe environment.
During the course of its business, DRS aims to manage theimpact upon these groups through safe, secure, reliable andenvironmentally sound systems of work. Approved managementand quality systems ensure that our suppliers adhere to our highsafety, quality and environmental standards.
Outstanding staff development and employee relations sets DirectRail Services apart from the industry – recognising the workforceas the company’s greatest asset.
Printed on environmentally friendly paper.
DRS is certificated by the BSI to:
ISO 9001ISO 14001BS OHSAS 18001
DRS is an Link-Upapproved supplier:
Number 22772
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