Containers by Rail in the UK

The importance of our railways in the movement of sea containers cannot be overstressed. Industry figures suggest that one in four of all containers arriving at UK ports move onwards via the UK rail network. This is particularly significant to the railfreight sector given the dramatic downturn in coal traffic in recent years.

Four of the country’s major players in the freight sector – Freightliner, DB Cargo, GB Railfreight and Direct Rail Services – all move significant volumes of container traffic to almost all parts of the UK. This book takes a look at these movements, from the major ports of Felixstowe and Southampton to destinations as far afield as Bristol and the Scottish Highlands.

John Jackson takes an in-depth look at the diversity of locomotives and container wagons used on these services provided by these key players on our twenty-first-century railway.