Carlisle-headquartered rail freight operator Direct Rail Services is playing a vital role in delivering Christmas across the country.
This year, it will be delivering 30 per cent of Tesco’s Christmas range, including eight million bottles of wine, over 350,000 Christmas crackers, 80,000 Christmas trees, 500,000 boxes of lights, almost five million gift wrapping accessories, around 1.5 million boxes of decorations and over 1.5 million Christmas cards.
Chris Connelly, managing director for Direct Rail Services, said: “Every month we transport around 12,000 containers of vital goods across the country to ensure shelves are stocked and Christmas presents available.
“Using our state-of-the-art Class 88 locomotives we can move huge loads hundreds of miles and, when running on overhead electricity, with zero exhaust emissions, making it absolutely fantastic for the environment.”
Robert Nisbet, director of Nations and Regions for the Rail Delivery Group, said: “It’s been a challenging year for many people across Britain so we’re happy that rail freight can play a central role in delivering Christmas cheer, ensuring families have everything they need to celebrate in style.
“With only a fraction of the emissions compared to road haulage, every tree, pudding and toy transported by rail is helping to make this a green Christmas.”
