Rail Freight Delivers a Bigger Christmas as Festive Demand Surges
Rail freight is shouldering a larger share of Britain’s Christmas logistics this year, according to new figures highlighting its growing importance during the festive season. The increase comes as the rail industry marks 200 years since the birth of the modern railway, giving the milestone year an added sense of occasion.
Freight trains are transporting a vast range of seasonal goods to retailers nationwide, from Christmas crackers and decorations to mince pies, toys, wrapping paper, trees and wine. Around a third of Tesco’s festive product range is being delivered to stores by rail, underlining the sector’s role in keeping shelves stocked during one of the busiest times of the year.
Data covering the three months from mid-September shows that more than 12,000 freight services moved in excess of 1.1 billion tonnes of consumer goods and fresh produce as retailers geared up for Christmas. That represents a 10 per cent rise in tonnage and a 4 per cent increase in train movements compared with the same period last year.
The pace is set to intensify further in the final run-up to Christmas. In the week before the big day alone, around 1,000 freight trains are expected to transport approximately 90 million tonnes of seasonal goods from ports and distribution hubs across Britain to supermarkets and retailers.
Rail freight also offers significant environmental advantages. A single freight train can carry the equivalent load of up to 129 heavy goods vehicles, producing only a fraction of the emissions and helping to reduce congestion on the road network.
Major retailers say rail freight is also central to long-term sustainability goals, with fewer lorry movements and lower carbon output forming part of wider environmental strategies.
Richard Moody, Programme Director at Network Rail, said:
“Rail freight companies are delighted to play a central role in delivering Christmas cheer during rail’s bicentenary year, ensuring families have everything they need to celebrate in style. With only a fraction of the emissions compared to road haulage, every tree, pudding and toy transported by rail helps to make a green Christmas. Many friends and families around the Christmas table will be unaware that much of their festive fare was carried to market by rail freight, one of Santa’s not-so-little helpers.”
Ben Smith, Head of primary, global and rail logistics at Tesco, added:
“Our distribution network plays a vital role in our efforts to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2035. Moving more than 30 per cent of our packaged Christmas range by rail allows us to get products to our stores in a more sustainable way, by removing thousands of lorry journeys each year and reducing our carbon emissions.”
Image: Network Rail