Petrol/Diesel stations will be phased out

[Stuartli]

Rail has to be the way to go, it makes no sense that the thousands of containers arriving weekly at the ports spend an average of a week or more sitting on the dockside awaiting collection, they should immediately be shipped out by rail to regional
/ local depots for collection and distribution, perishable goods should be no problem, many refrigerated containers are shipped around the world, some of your fruit and veg is shipped from South America and Africa. If the container had been around in the early sixties it would possibly have been the saviour of the railways, they could be the saviour of the environment.

Sorry, no. It's an impossible dream.

You'd need freight trains the length of the country to match the capacity of half-a-million trucks and lorries and, even then, you state that goods would need to be dropped off or collected by road vehicles at the beginning or end of journeys.

I'm well aware of how far fruit and vegetables can come to the UK from abroad (it's a massive amount) as I have a friend who has been in the business for decades.

Yes, in huge countries such as the States or through those in Europe rail freight is a must, but not in a small one like the UK, which has lost many thousands of miles of track since the Beeching Report.

That was produced because the then Government wanted to move from rail to road and, sadly, it made its mark.

[sandGroundZero]

Rail has to be the way to go, …

Sorry, no. It's an impossible dream. …

David Huck, Managing Director, Group Ports says:
“…Using the Port of Liverpool as an example, it is uniquely positioned to offer proximity to market for many major distribution hubs across the UK, providing shorter onward road journeys with less reliance on increasingly scarce truck drivers, addressing cost, carbon and congestion
"The recent expansion of Liverpool2’s deep water container terminal and the introduction of three new train services to further enhance connectivity has ensured that the UK has an alternative major port location to alleviate southern congestion issues
"As a proof point to this statement, following a successful trial earlier this year, DKT Allseas announced that it’s China Xpress liner service will become a permanent route into Liverpool, complimented with the introduction of a brand new onward rail service into Freightliners Birmingham terminal. The announcement of this new service is indicative of this shift and the growing demand for alternative points of entry. Across it’s wider group, Peel Ports see’s duplicate trends in locations such as Glasgow and London Medway.

Strong regional ports to be a gamechanger
for the future of the UK’s supply chain

People creating transport infrastructure for the future will be improving upon 20^th century solutions. Peel Ports Liverpool2 initiative, though it has been generating anxiety in the short-term, may pave the way for technological innovations which resolve air quality and road congestion issues.

Evidently, Peel Group hopes to utilize its property holdings.

Across the five terminals at Manchester Ship Canal, we handle 7.5 million tonnes of cargo. Each terminal specialises in a specific area, providing you with the solution you need:

• QEII Docks - Liquid berth
• Ellesmere Port - Bulks and Project Cargo
• Runcorn Docks - Bulks and Project Cargo
• Port Warrington – Multi-user warehousing
• Port Salford (Third party operated quayside, warehouse and bulk store)

Appropriate statutory frameworks can in principle influence these developments.

[Stuartli]

It can be dressed up as much as you like but, in the end, the majority of goods will be continued to be transported and delivered by road.

Distributor James Hall Ltd, based in Preston, for instance, has 150 Spar shops under its ownership in the North West and distributes goods by road to just under 600 Spar shops in total.

Rather difficult by rail freight.....

[local]

Rail has a small niche space in the market but cannot compete with road and of course we are heading inexorably towards driverless vehicles.

Road freight can then move mainly at night.

[Alikado]

It can be dressed up as much as you like but, in the end, the majority of goods will be continued to be transported and delivered by road.

Distributor James Hall Ltd, based in Preston, for instance, has 150 Spar shops under its ownership in the North West and distributes goods by road to just under 600 Spar shops in total.

Rather difficult by rail freight.....

Those are mostly local deliveries, what we are talking about is the thousands of containers that transit our ports daily, they most be transported by rail.

[Alikado]

Rail has a small niche space in the market but cannot compete with road and of course we are heading inexorably towards driverless vehicles.

Road freight can then move mainly at night.

Much road freight is moved at night already