Rail Freight

Europe’s roads are increasingly congested, resulting in longer journey times and more unreliability. Virtually all Government forecasts predict that this situation will get worse as time moves on.

Firms are also faced with the restriction in lorry drivers' hours caused by the adoption of the European Working Time Directive and an acute shortage of HGV drivers necessary to make long distance transportation cost effective. With the introduction of lorry road user charging, above and beyond the regional measures imposed. where for example cities like London have implemented the congestion charge and other costly restrictions. Rail freight can play a key role in taking some cargo off the roads whilst also helping businesses keep costs down and stay competitive.

Wider afield the independent states of the former Soviet Union have excellent rail networks and are able to provide time definitive transportation even to remote rail sidings. This particular rail network extends from the Baltic States across the continent of Asia to Vladivostok and on to China connecting many countries in between.

WELL has enormous experience of providing multi-modal logistics solutions, including those which have considerable reliance on the rail network. The ability to undertake direct discharge from ship to rail wagon, such as we regularly do in ports like Poti, Georgia has significant cost and service advantages. Specially designed rolling stock can handle heavy and out of gauge items with ease and we have also had several situations where over width cargo has been given special permission from the rail authorities to close the line to oncoming traffic to facilitate a particularly complex shipment.

Wherever a rail network exists, WELL will automatically consider the viability of this as part of the solutions which we provide.