A NEW freight rail service between Southampton and Essex is part of an effort to take 300,000 trucks of the roads each year.

Port terminal operator DP World is running the trains between its Southampton and London Gateway in Thurrock.

It says the intermodal rail service will boost the resilience of supply chains and allow customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the locations.

The service ran for the first time last weekend and will run every Saturday, carrying a cargo including fresh fruit, beverages and consumer goods between the ports in less than five hours.

The train takes up to 120 lorries a week off the roads and cuts carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent, DP World says.

DP World plans to increase the frequency of the train next year. Combined with other recent and ongoing investments in rail at both ports, it says the service will ease motorway congestion and remove 300,000 trucks from the roads annually.

John Trenchard, UK commercial and supply chain director of DP World, said: “DP World is unique in offering customers a choice of deep-water entry and exit points to and from the UK. This new rail service will make it even easier for our customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two locations, which means greater flexibility and choice.”

“After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities. We are providing it, enabling customers to move goods smoothly and efficiently in and out of the UK and across their supply chains.”

DP World operates ports, terminals and logistics businesses on six continents. Its two UK hubs are deep water ports with access to freight terminals and it has an expanding logistics park near London.

Between them, the sites moved 1.93million TEU (20ft equivalent units) in the first half of the year, a record volume.

Last month, DP World announced the start of construction at London Gateway’s new £350 million fourth berth, which will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024. The company says the construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs and the logistics park will employ a further 12,000 when it is completed in five years’ time.

The company has also earmarked a further £1billion of investment in the UK over the next 10 years.