EuroCargoRail together with the infrastructure managers ADIF, RFF, and Network Rail as well as Eurotunnel launched a new temperature controlled intermodal rail service between Valencia in Spain and the Dagenham Railport in the UK.
The train composed of 30 refrigerated containers is, with its length of 467 kilometres the longest freight train in Europe under the operation of a single operator. It has a loading capacity of 1,400 tonnes.
The initially weekly service to be extended to three times a week later on, is aimed at fruit wholesalers, traders and importers as well as supermarkets enabling fresh produce to be moved in les than 60 hours. This quicker and cheaper alternative to road transport allows them as well to make substantial reductions in the level CO2 emission.
It is estimated that with this service 105,000 tons CO2 will be saved until 2011, by replacing 60 trucks at each journey and 13,7 million kilometres of road journeys a year.
