27.04.15
DB Schenker to continue operating Royal Mail services
DB Schenker has won a new contract to continue to operate rail services for Royal Mail.
The freight operator retained the contract it has operated since 2010 in the face of strong competition.
The new deal begins on 1 June 2015, for a minimum of three years, and will see DB Schenker continue to operate six daily services on the West Coast Main Line and two on the East Coast Main Line together with maintaining Royal Mail’s fleet of 15 Class 325 mail trains.
Mark Fernandez, acting head of sales at DB Schenker Rail UK, said: “We are delighted to have retained the Royal Mail contract. We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and believe they choose us because of our partnership approach and desire to find flexible and sustainable solutions.
“We have enjoyed an excellent collaborative working relationship with the Royal Mail on the current contract, which includes consistently reliable delivery and considerable improvements in their Class 325 performance since we took over the locomotive maintenance.”
Last year DB Schenker worked with Royal Mail to increase the capacity of the Class 325s. At the time, the coaches used to transport the mail could only accommodate 200 Yorks each (the name given to the carrying unit that contains the mail).
A specialist team at DB Schenker Rail UK calculated that by modifying strap arrangements, removing centre vehicle cross beams and reconfiguring loading patterns, Royal Mail could achieve an increase in capacity by 16% (36 Yorks per coach and 108 Yorks per train).
David Hawkins, head of contract operations at Royal Mail, said: “Our rail network has improved year on year and we are delighted to be continuing our relationship with DBS. We are currently part way through a major refit programme and we are seeing the benefit of working with a partner that provides both Operational solutions and Engineering expertise.”
(Image source: Jamie Moore)
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