Rail freight operator DRS, headquartered in Carlisle and part of Nuclear Transport Solutions, began servicing the giant retailer Tesco with a single service in 2006. Since then, the now famous “Tesco Trains” have grown into one of the UK’s most successful rail freight operations. The operations now cover up to ten services per day, running from the locations in the south of England to the north of Scotland.
Over the last 20 years, the collaboration has helped remove hundreds of thousands of lorry journeys from Britain’s roads, reducing congestion and significantly lowering carbon emissions. Each intermodal train on the route removes around forty heavy goods vehicles from the road network. The trains have become among the most photographed freight operations in the UK, especially on the Highland Main Line, between Perth and Inverness. The latter destination is dominated by the supermarket chain, and is often referred to, impolitely, as “Tesco Town”.
However, despite the daily arrival of a train of branded containers at the Inverness terminal, much of the load is destined for outlying retailers in the remote parts of northwest Scotland. The flow is often cited as a prime example of ‘final mile’ operations, backed by a trunk delivery by rail, with produce on board coming from as far away as Tesco’s main distribution hub at Daventry, in the so-called Logistics Golden Triangle in the English Midlands.
Supermarket sweep
The occasion was marked earlier this week with the unveiling of a new name for locomotive 88010, now called “Tesco 20 years of rail freight”, at Tesco’s Daventry terminal. NTS’s co-CEO Ciara Middlehurst and Tesco’s Mathew Rhind, UK Transport Distribution Director, revealed the new nameplate. “It is an absolute pleasure to celebrate this significant milestone. Direct Rail Services has been Tesco’s trusted rail partner from the very beginning,” said Ciara Middlehurst, Co-CEO of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), owner and operator of DRS. “Together we have built one of the most recognisable and successful rail freight partnerships in the country.” The rail and retail operators recently renewed their long-term contract for goods delivery.
According to DRS, innovation has been a key driver throughout the partnership. DRS has continually invested in new operating models, wagon designs and technologies to improve performance and sustainability. The company was also the first rail freight operator in the UK to introduce a mainline overhead-powered bi-mode locomotive with its Class 88 fleet. This is particularly significant for ‘fast-moving consumer goods’ as the route between Daventry and Inverness is only partially electrified. The Class 88 is capable of hauling up to 1,500 tonnes of freight with zero exhaust emissions when operating under electric power, comfortably more than even the most enthusiastic supermarket sweep.