Amid global liner network changes, the UK government’s infrastructure agency, Network Rail, and the sector’s representative body, the Rail Freight Group, have highlighted rail’s role in supporting port-centric logistics as container trades shift.
“Freight is not just for Christmas,” the chief executive of Network Rail told senior figures from the UK freight and logistics sector. Jeremy Westlake was addressing the Rail Freight Group’s annual Christmas Lunch in London, where he was the guest of honour. In his keynote speech, he stressed that rail freight is a year-round enabler of the UK’s maritime trade, providing the high-capacity, low-carbon inland connections required to keep ports flowing and shipping schedules resilient.
Strategic role of rail freight in UK supply chains
“Freight operates 24/7, 365 days a year,” Westlake told the attendees. “It plays a critical role in keeping Britain supplied, from food and consumer goods to energy and raw materials. Freight delivers economic and environmental value, contributing GB£2.5 billion a year, with 90% of the benefits felt outside London and the South East [of England]. When freight thrives, the country thrives.”
He welcomed provisions in the Railways Bill that place a statutory duty on GBR to promote freight, alongside new access and charging frameworks intended to give operators greater certainty. These measures are designed to support the UK Government’s ambition to grow rail freight by 75% by 2050. Westlake added that, alongside longer-term reform, immediate support mechanisms are already delivering results. Seventeen applications have now been approved under the Access Charges Discount Policy, a scheme designed to encourage new flows to rail. The policy has unlocked over 100 additional freight train paths per week. Other initiatives, such as DP World’s modal shift programme, have also helped grow maritime rail freight.
Great British Railways and the future of port-to-inland freight
Westlake underlined the strategic importance of rail freight to Britain’s ports, shipping lines and inland supply chains. He also pointed to the role rail freight is expected to play under the forthcoming Great British Railways (GBR – see reporting at RailTech.com), offering reassurance to industry stakeholders at a time when Network Rail has begun a government-mandated consultation on future access charges for freight operators, due to be implemented under GBR. These reforms aim to give operators greater certainty over pathing and charges, helping the rail sector plan long-term investments and grow capacity in line with the UK Government’s ambition to expand freight volumes by 75% by 2050.
Modern inland logistics terminals such as East Midlands Gateway, Trafford Park, and Coatbridge are increasingly integrated with the rail network, enabling high-volume container flows from ports to be moved efficiently by train. From these hubs, trucks handle “last mile” deliveries into major urban centres like Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow. This approach not only eases road congestion and cuts carbon emissions but also positions rail as a vital link connecting global shipping with domestic distribution networks.
Aligning rail with shipping network changes
Against the backdrop of global liner network restructuring, Westlake highlighted how closely rail planning must align with port and shipping developments. The Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd has reshaped Asia–Europe port calls in the UK, with deep-sea services redirected to London Gateway, while transatlantic services continue to operate via Southampton and non-Gemini calls remain at Felixstowe.
Rather than representing a simple transfer of freight from one port to another, the changes required rapid adjustments across inland logistics chains. New initiatives such as Digital Freight Load Books – a digitised replacement for paper records of route weight and length limits – were cited as improving safety and operational efficiency. Much effort was required, essentially by government agencies, in response to commercial opportunities. Additional capacity on corridors such as Essex Thameside were presented as evidence of forward planning to support port-centric rail flows.
Rail freight as the inland arm of container shipping
Maggie Simpson OBE, director general of the Rail Freight Group, said the past year had demonstrated how interdependent shipping and rail freight have become. She praised the sector’s coordinated response to the Gemini network changes in spring 2025, noting that around a dozen existing rail freight services were re-timetabled within three months to align with revised container port calls, particularly at London Gateway.
“These were not new trains conjured overnight, but rapid, collaborative adjustments to ensure containers kept moving inland as shipping patterns evolved,” Simpson said, underlining rail’s role as the inland extension of the quay. She added that RFG has worked intensively with the government to ensure freight’s needs are recognised in rail reform. “The draft Railways Bill now sets a strong framework for freight within Great British Railways, and that is down to your actions,” she told members. “There is still plenty more to do to make sure reform is fit for purpose for customers and supply chains.”