DB Schenker Rail has relocated its office at the port of Southampton in the UK to meet the needs of increased container movements by rail through the port. More than 60,000 containers were moved through the ports on DB Schenker Rail freight trains last year.
The bigger office at Southampton port was formally opened by Lord Tony Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group, as part of a tour of the port of Southampton by Rail Freight Group members.
The office will be staffed by 30 employees, a significant growth since the beginning of operations there in 2007 when just four staff were employed at the previous location.
As well as handling intermodal trains operated at the port of Southampton, the office also handles bookings for all intermodal rail freight trains operated elsewhere in the country by DB Schenker Rail UK. The company is focused on encouraging retailers to move container shipments from road to rail and has appointed David Cross as customer service manager for its Logistics segment in the UK (read more here).
DB Schenker Rail has agreed to provide rail services the London Gateway deep-sea port and logistics park in the UK, which is planned to open in fourth quarter of 2013. The division said it will operate four 700-metre daily freight trains from the hub per day, taking 4,000 truck journeys per week off the roads. It also said that the London Gateway is likely to become the UK's busiest rail freight terminal.
"London Gateway is the most significant logistics project in the intermodal sector and it will be home to the largest rail freight terminal in the UK," said Carsten Hinne, managing director, Logistics for DB Schenker Rail UK." The services which we will launch at London Gateway will be the first of many freight trains that we will operate from the port, forming a strong rail freight network across the UK and mainland Europe for customers."
The company is also looking at the development of rail freight services from London Gateway to mainland Europe using the Channel Tunnel.
