Sustainable High-Speed Rail Logistics Services into the heart of Central London, cross dock by parcel from pre-sorted roller cage for direct delivery to door, the zero emission dream is closer than ever before for the heart of the City.
Logistics sector was in force on Platform Eleven at the 150 year old Liverpool Street Station, cross-dock space on Platform Ten completing the picture. It was celebrations all round with a top brass set of keynotes from Network Rail and TfL. A vision for zero emission client chain, e-retail final mile to the very heart of London was unfolding in front of the express sector.
The dream of a direct to door, multimodal cross dock from rail, using zero emission final mile in the heart of London was clearly a step closer, Institute of Couriers fellow, Phil Read, MD of Varamis Rail parked up his roller-cage-access passenger train on Platform Ten in Liverpool Street to showcase the clear carriages converted from passenger, giving maximum access to the network, three-cage-width loading for roller-cages set to be packed full of parcels. This was a fast, big parcel number solution and it's on the rails and ready to go.
Phil explained,
The train is an eight-car set, each carriage takes more than a Euro trailer and takes only 15 mins to cross dock using roller-cages to courier final mile vehicles waiting on the platform space next door. From here the East Coast Mainline is available, we can use the North London Link and achieve Birmingham in around two hours. A next step is to sit down with the parcel carriers, agree a focus of routes and set a timetable for nightly runs.
Inst of Couriers President and Network Rail chairman, Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, gave the opening remarks,
Delivery to City Centre by rail is the future. Add zero emission final mile from the train and this completes a modern client chain to door for e-retail. It is fitting that only two weeks ago I was here to mark 150 years for Liverpool St Station. Today we celebrate just in time, express parcel into Central London, ready for a clean air final mile on road. In the evolution of rail freight, ‘here today, delivered tomorrow.’ is a vision that would have been hard to imagine a decade ago. Bulk parcel & just in time delivery using the rail mode is the future.
Scott Wilding, Principal Strategy Planner at the Transport for London Freight Team.
London is set to have nine million residents by the end of the decade. Road safety, air quality and congestion are the three challenges. Parcel to rail in this modal cross-dock shift to deliver into the heart of the City will impact all three challenges for the better.
Inst of Couriers chair, Carl Lomas was on board, stood in the carriage with a view of three-wide stacking for parcel roller-cages, one-and-a-half trailer capacity for every railcar set, and there are eight per train. Cross-dock is only fifteen minute turnaround to waiting vehicles on the platform ten feet away,
This is a fantastic opportunity for final mile, last mile solution to the heart of the city, the line is two hours to Birmingham hubs and the whole East Coast route is available, well done our IOC fellow, Phil Read, good luck Varamis Rail.
Next Stop Logistics Vision 2030, Phil Read will be delivering the rail mode parcel cross-dock keynote at West Thames College Hounslow on the afternoon March 26th, starting at one, agenda at one thirty.
Photo gallery
IOC chair Carl Lomas checks out the cage space, fifteen min turnaround for every carriage
Phil Read MD Varamis talks shop and final mile zero emission roller cage carriages to City of London
City of London Carmen livery, Lomas and Sturman in Carmen ties
