06 October 2021
Starting Monday 4th October, the new train service will run five days a week between Liverpool and Freightliner’s Birmingham Terminal. It forms part of the China Xpress service evolution, moving from sea to land to provide a sustainable solution for cargo owners to get their goods to their end destination.
The new inland service will carry 26 x 60ft wagons enabling DKT Allseas to move up to 76 x 20ft or 26 x 40ft and 26 x 20ft containers of freight per day. The new rail service offers a fast and reliable alternative to road transport for its customers at a time when road hauliers are struggling to source enough drivers to service the demand.
David Huck, Managing Director at Peel Ports said: “We have worked with DKT Allseas since February this year and since its inception, the China Xpress liner service has gone from strength to strength over a very short period. Launched as a temporary supply chain critical service, fast forward nine months and we are delighted to see this now part of an established route positioning the Port of Liverpool as a viable call for Far East services.
Darren Wright, Managing Director at DKT Allseas said: “The China Xpress service was the first of its kind to offer a direct service call, providing a gateway from the Far East direct into the heart of the UK’s cargo owning community. An initiative born out of necessity and frustration to provide relief to customers facing increased ocean freight rates and reduced reliability due to the knock-on impacts of the global pandemic.
“As those frustrations permeate the UK with the widely publicised HGV driver shortages, this new rail service further enhances the China Xpress by providing another tangible logistics solution to our customers.
“Another significant upside is the amount of traffic this service will remove from road further enhancing Allseas approach to sustainable logistics”
Since the initial sailing in February, DKT Allseas has expanded its China Xpress service from one to three ports in China direct to Liverpool, as well as, introduced a new service call from China direct to the USA, both east and west coast.
The intersection of both COVID-19 and Brexit over the past 18 months has resulted in driver shortages which have had a negative impact on many supply chains. Road haulage is an essential part of the economy, accounting for around 90% of all surface transport in the UK.
This new inland train service solution by DKT Allseas will alleviate some of these pressures to get goods across the country in the most efficient way by providing a cheaper, faster, more reliable and more sustainable solution for the cargo owner.