DP World has launched a new intermodal train service connecting its container terminals at London Gateway and Southampton. The port operator said the service will improve customers’ supply chain resilience and allow them to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two locations.

The DP World-operated service ran for the first-time last weekend and is scheduled to operate every Saturday. It will carry a variety of cargo including fresh fruit, beverages and consumer goods between the two ports, with a journey time of less than five hours.

DP World estimates the service will remove 120 lorries a week off the roads and cut carbon emissions by up to 80%. The company also plans to increase the frequency of the train next year which it predicts will ease take a total of 300,000 trucks taken off UK roads each year.

“DP World is unique in offering customers a choice of deep-water entry and exit points to and from the UK. This new rail service will make it even easier for our customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two locations, which means greater flexibility and choice,” said John Trenchard, DP World UK commercial and supply chain director.

“After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities. We are providing it, enabling customers to move goods smoothly and efficiently in and out of the UK and across their supply chains,” Trenchard added.

DP World’s London Gateway and Southampton terminals moved a record volume of cargo in the first half of the year, with a combined total of 1.93m TEU.

Last month, DP World announced the start of construction at London Gateway’s new £350m fourth berth, which DP World said will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024. The construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs with the company estimating a further 12,000 jobs will be created at the park when it is completed in five years’ time. The company has also earmarked a further £1 billion of investment in the UK over the next 10 years.