The Port of Southampton is strengthening its self-proclaimed position as the UK’s leading container gateway for rail-linked distribution. DP World, the operator of the container terminal, says it has combined quay investment with targeted incentives to drive up its rail modal share. The terminal now handles close to one in three containers by train, with an ambition to lift that to 40 per cent within the next year (2026).
In the past four years, the UK infrastructure agency Network Rail has completed an upgrade programme around Southampton. It means the port’s rail infrastructure can be used more efficiently. In effect, the south coast port can dispatch fully-formed consists of up to 775 metres (including traction) – the longest trains that can be accommodated around the network, without requiring remarshalling on arrival.
Better truck and driver facilities too
The efficiency drive by the UK’s government-run Network Rail answers part of a wider strategy to enhance the competitiveness of DP World’s UK operations. With rail connections capable of handling 775-metre trains, and new inter-port shuttles to London Gateway, Southampton is offering shipping lines greater inland reach and flexibility across Britain’s logistics network.
There has also been a streamlining of road-based operations. Southampton is able to better handle the constant convoy of trucks that access the port. That has pleased operators and the port’s neighbours, who see fewer of those heavy goods vehicles on local roads. Improved driver facilities have also been provided, amounting to comfortable toilet and shower amenities, and a pleasant and popular drivers’ restaurant, which is informally open to all truckers, even those not necessarily serving the port on every trip. DP World may review that policy in future, but for now, the 120 truck parking bays (including electric charging points) are not under pressure.
Quay and terminal efficiency
DP World Southampton has invested in super-post-Panamax cranes. Four new units are due for delivery in the next year (see last week’s WCN story). The operators are also putting in automated systems and expanded yard facilities to ensure that ship discharge aligns with rail departures. This synchronisation allows containers to move directly from quayside to train without extended dwell times, a factor increasingly important to carriers operating on tight vessel schedules – a point that DP World emphasises at Southampton.
The improved alignment between marine and rail operations has helped the terminal reduce road bottlenecks around the Solent. That has made the port a better neighbour with what is, effectively, a city centre facility. Commercially, it has also helped offer a more sustainable service profile to shipping line customers. The move also dovetails with broader supply chain pressures for lower emissions and improved predictability in inland distribution.
Modal Shift Programme milestones
Since its launch, DP World’s Modal Shift Programme has channelled more than 100,000 containers onto rail, with a corresponding reduction in truck movements. Customers using rail are offered financial incentives, structured to reward volumes routed through inland rail freight interchanges within a specified distance – currently up to 140 miles from the port – which places the port within reach of the rail-connected hubs of the “Golden Triangle” – Britain’s busy logistics cluster in the Midlands.
With modal share already at 30 per cent, DP World has set a clear trajectory to reach 40 per cent by 2026. A revised framework of incentives, introduced this autumn, underpins that ambition while ensuring the terminal remains attractive to shipping lines keen to promote greener end-to-end solutions to cargo owners.
Inter-port and inland connectivity
Southampton’s inland reach is underpinned by regular services from Freightliner, DB Cargo UK, GB Railfreight and Maritime Transport. Boxes are dispatched to designated strategic rail freight interchanges (SRFI) in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Scotland. These services give shipping lines access to consolidated hinterland networks and reduce reliance on long-haul trucking.
The rail capacity enhancements have allowed DP World to instigate a dedicated rail service linking Southampton with their other UK property, London Gateway. They claim it’s the first inter-port container shuttle of its kind in the UK. Certainly, it’s the first to connect the two ports and help with the operator’s concept of making both ports part of the same business unit. The connection also allows DP World to balance flows across its two British terminals, providing carriers with flexibility in berth selection and inland distribution planning.