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Rail fails on the milk run

25th March 1999, Page 11
25th March 1999
Page 11
Page 11, 25th March 1999 — Rail fails on the milk run
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• Rail freight's lack of flexibility has dashed hopes at milk seller Milk Marque of switching hundreds of thousands of litres of milk each day from road to rail.

Last year Milk Marque said it was initially impressed with its rail trials, and that its 15 main contractors in England and Wales—including Wincanton, Tankfreight and United Transport— could lose up to 10% of long-distance volumes.

The trials were conducted by Direct Rail Services, the BNFL-owned train operator, and overseen by Tankfreight. The month-long trial involved trains carrying 30,000 litres a day between Cumbria and London. A full train-load requires 600,000 litres.

More than half of Milk Marque's six billion litres of milk a year is carried only over short distances,