Port of Immingham freight service to help ease driver shortage

A new rail service transporting freight from one of the UK's biggest ports to a distribution centre has started running for the first time.

The Humber Express will be able to carry 80 containers a day between Immingham Docks and Doncaster.

Goods from across the UK will also be taken from Doncaster to Immingham for onward travel to Europe.

Bosses said it would ease pressures faced by a shortage of HGV drivers and was more environmentally friendly.

Andrew Byrne, managing director of DFDS Seaways, which runs the service, said: "With tens of thousands of containers, tank containers and trade vehicles moving in and out of the Port of Immingham every year the fact none of these are moved by rail is something that has long needed addressing."

He said the logistics industry was facing "one of its largest challenges in a generation" along with "additional complexities due to Brexit still impacting on supply chains".

Services will run in both directions twice a day with capacity for 80 containers every 24 hours, he said.

Immingham is the fourth biggest port in the UK when measured by the number of units that cross the quay side.

In 2020, Immingham and Grimsby handled over 10% of all the units moved in and out of the UK, behind Dover, Felixstowe and London.

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