_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Freightliner
“ The trains we use are getting longer and with lighter wagons, meaning we can transport more than double the number of products per train compared with around 30 years ago. With rail emitting up to 76 percent less CO 2 than road freight, choosing rail aligns with sustainability agendas and helps companies reduce emissions. We are also the only freight operator in the UK using electric freight locos and we are always looking to increase our usage of them. If just 60 extra miles of rail track electrification took place, an additional two million miles of electric freight train movements would be possible- providing a clear route to net zero for rail freight.”
Continuing his reflections on the company’ s 60th anniversary, Michael shares his thoughts on what factors have enabled such success and longevity.“ Constant innovation,” he simply states.“ We’ ve never rested on our laurels, but instead embraced continuous innovation to drive growth, whether it be product diversification or investing in new technologies. We were one of the first companies in the UK to invest in Class 66 locomotives, for instance, and around 2015, we later led the introduction of Class 70 locomotives.
“ This constant innovation has kept us at the forefront of the competition, and more recently we are seeing an increased push for digital systems. We’ ve transitioned our drivers to using iPads, for instance, and we now electronically monitor the condition of our fleet. We’ ve also invested in new booking systems with our terminals, including the imminent launch of My Hub, a virtual booking system to make our rail freight services more accessible throughout the UK. By using an electronic booking system, road hauliers sending their vehicles into our terminals are reporting reduced wait times from as much as two hours to as little as 13 minutes
scw-mag. com 39