ONE signs U.K. intermodal rail contract

Freightliner cites environmental benefits of deal with Japanese carrier.    The Japanese container shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) has signed a contract with British railroad Freightliner for guaranteed space on its intermodal services in the U.K.
   Freightliner is a subsidiary of the short line railroad holding company Genesee and Wyoming. Adam Cunliffe, CCO of G&W’s U.K./Europe Region companies, said Freightliner previously had worked with the three Japanese shipping lines that formed ONE — NYK, MOL and “K” Line.
   “We look forward to continuing our close working relationship with our ONE colleagues and to making a positive impact on our environment, as well as easing congestion on our roads by moving more freight on rail,” he said.
   ONE ships call the Port of Southampton, D.P World’s London Gateway Terminal and Port of Felixstowe, with most ONE services calling either Southampton or London Gateway.
   Freightliner said, “By switching from road to rail, the new contract will see 118,320 road miles per day removed from U.K. roads, reducing greenhouse gases by 67 percent in comparison to traditional road transport.”
   Freightliner’s network connects the ports with company terminals in Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Doncaster and Coatbridge as well as terminals owned by third parties in other cities.
   G&W’s most recent quarterly report with the Securities and Exchange Commission describes Freightliner as the “largest rail maritime intermodal operator in the U.K.”
   In May 2017, G&W acquired Pentalver Transport Ltd. from the A.P. Moller – Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals for $126 million.
   G&W said Pentalver’s operations are complementary to those of Freightliner. Pentalver operates off-dock container terminals — most under long-term leases — at the seaports of Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway and Tilbury, as well as an inland terminal located at Cannock, in the Midlands, near many of the U.K.’s largest distribution centers.