Pledge has been selected by logistics giant DP World to accurately measure the impact of its Modal Shift Programme (MSP) which financially incentivises cargo owners to switch from road to rail for freight transport from the Port of Southampton to railheads within a radius of 140 miles. The programme is also helping to address the current under-utilisation of the UK’s rail freight network, according to Multimodal.
While the volume of cargo moved by rail from Southampton had previously dropped by ten percentage points in the decade leading to 2023, the MSP has reversed this trend, increasing the share of freight moved by rail from 21% to 30% since September 2023. This has made a significant contribution to the UK government’s 2050 target for a 75% increase in rail freight to reduce congestion and emissions on the roads.
Trains generate much lower emissions than trucks carrying the same load – around 80% less – and so making the change can considerably reduce the total emissions created by the port’s shipping and logistics customers. The MSP has already removed 6,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in its first six months of operation.
Working out how many kilos of CO2 equivalents are saved for every consignment is calculated using the Pledge platform. This uses the cargo’s weight, origin and destination locations, the type and characteristics of the vehicle used and other factors, such as road characteristics and elevation levels, to establish the road-based carbon footprint for each journey. The footprint for a rail-based journey, with trucks only used for the ‘last mile’, is also established, and the difference between the two figures is the carbon emission savings made.