“THE WINE TRAIN” ARRIVES New Train Service Benefits UK Environment and Economy

March 17, 2008 - PRLog -- With an emphasis on improving freight transport efficiency through better use of infrastructure, while supporting the wine and spirit industry’s commitment to minimising carbon emissions, JF Hillebrand is proud to be introducing their innovative Tilbury to Daventry Rail Service. “The Wine Train” will operate on a daily basis, with each train carrying over 350,000 bottles of wine.

The launch of this service involves a £1-million investment that has been undertaken by JF Hillebrand to address many environmental issues associated with transport. The Tilbury to Daventry service is estimated to save an average of 326 km (204 miles) per road-trip equivalent. This equates to at least 1.7 billion grams of CO2 savings per-year. The service is estimated to take 6000 vehicles off the heavily congested M25 and M1 major trunk routes per year. These motorways are widely recognised as two of the busiest roads in the UK.  

Foster’s EMEA, the UK’s division of Foster’s Group Limited, which is a major provider or wine from Australia, including such popular brands as Lindemans, Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Penfolds and Beringer is among the primary clients taking advantage of JF Hillebrand’s new rail service.  Since trials of the rail service commenced earlier in 2008, 75% of Foster’s containers have been moved by rail from port to the inland rail terminal at Daventry. From here, they are then road hauled the short distance to Lutterworth.  

According to Rob Hollis, Foster’s Director of Regional Supply and Production, “Foster’s is delighted to be supporting JF Hillebrand in this initiative.  Along with measures we have already taken such as the light weighting of glass bottles, the use of PET bottles and the transfer of packaging of some products to the local market, this represents another important development for Foster’s.

Prior to the launch of this initiative by JF Hillebrand, there was no existing freight service operating on this route.  The company has worked closely with intermodal train operators Freightliner to develop a commercially viable service that compliments pre-existing lines. The company invested well-over two-years of development to create this solution in a cost-efficient manner, whereby their customers and clients would enjoy both environmental and supply chain performance benefits without enduring any additional costs.  

The Daventry terminal is on the route normally taken by HGVs running up from Tilbury. JF Hillebrand reports a direct savings in so-called "road miles,” which equates to roughly 326 per container movement (this is the round trip distance between Tilbury and Daventry). The savings between road (63gCO2/tkm) and rail (20gCO2/tkm) is 43gm per tonne km x 326km = 14018 x an average of 20t payload per movement (conservative) = 280,360gm CO2 emissions per container shipped via the rail service.

In addition, JF Hillebrand reports that they have already been in negotiations with a couple of major retailers who have expressed an interest in reloading containers with cargo emanating from the East Midlands area for delivery to the South East. The overall positive effect of these new shipping relationships will both benefit the environment and lead to further reductions in road congestion.

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JF Hillebrand UK is the leading specialist logistics provider for wine and spirits imports to the UK and, as part of the JF Hillebrand group, has the support of 1100 staff from 43 offices around the globe - ensuring a personal, dedicated service at every stage of the supply chain.

For additional information, please refer to our website: www.jfhillebrand.com/uk

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