The partnership was formed in February of this year, and now, following a successful trial, the electric route has officially become part of Carousel Logistics’ pan-European delivery operations.
Varamis Rail, the UK’s first electric-only express rail freight operator, is utilizing former passenger trains, which have been converted to carry cargo at speeds of up to 100mph between the Midlands and Scotland.
“The introduction of this zero-emission route out of Birmingham, our primary UK hub, is a real win-win for us,” said Andrew Lowery, managing director UK of Carousel Logistics. “Not only does this high-speed electric train drive our journey toward carbon neutrality, but it is also faster than the diesel-fueled alternatives. We’re looking forward to expanding our partnership with Varamis Rail as it adds more capacity to this route, and sustainably connect more British cities.”
The train is powered by Network Rail’s overhead line infrastructure, with all electricity generated from environmentally friendly sources.
“Carousel Logistics has been instrumental in helping us design a route that meets the needs of time-critical delivery services – for this venture to be successful, it must serve the industry,” added Phil Read, managing director of Varamis Rail. “Like ourselves, they’re pioneers – their team is innovative and exploring new, green alternatives in a bid to make cargo transport more sustainable.”
Carousel Logistics is now running freight out of Birmingham on Varamis Rail’s midnight service that departs just two miles away from the airport and pulls into Mossend rail hub terminal at around 4:00am.
Varamis Rail noted that the electric route will save 1,350 tons of carbon dioxide each year under the current schedule of a return journey between the cities five nights a week.