DP World has announced that its Modal Shift Programme at Southampton has eliminated 64,300 truck journeys from UK roads in its first year, significantly advancing sustainable freight transport.
The Modal Shift initiative has also slashed carbon emissions by more than 17,000 tonnes, supporting the company’s goal to enhance sustainability across its operations.
The programme, launched in September 2023, incentivises customers to move containers by rail instead of road, covering journeys to railheads within 140 miles of the port. Since its inception, the programme has increased the share of rail freight at DP World Southampton from 21% to over 30%, with a target to reach 40% by 2026.
John Trenchard, Vice President – Commercial & Supply Chain, DP World UK, noted the broader implications: “With this significant increase in rail freight volume —equivalent to the transfer of approximately six million road miles to rail— we are giving more of our customers the opportunity to explore the benefits of rail to the sustainability and resilience of their containerised supply chains.”
Four new rail services have been launched under the scheme, linking Southampton with Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands Gateway, and Doncaster. Additionally, a second rail service now connects Southampton with DP World’s London Gateway logistics hub, doubling the capacity between two major container ports and potentially removing up to one million road miles annually.
Local and industry support highlights the programme’s value. Craig Barnes, Business Development Director, Supreme Freight Services said: “We had not previously considered rail as an option for our import container routings at Southampton but following the introduction of the Modal Shift Programme, we are now increasingly using rail for our customer shipments. We have even changed our standard practice to help boost the uptake among our customers, offering both options for road-only movements but also rail/road alternatives from the outset.”
Satvir Kaur, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, added: “It’s great to see the success of this pilot run by DP World. This scheme not only ensures our port can become more sustainable and help improve the poor air quality Southampton suffers, but it also reduces congestion on our roads.”
