Make the connection

The logistics industry is the backbone of our economy and by using multimodal transportation, covering rail, road, shipping, and air, it keeps our supply chains protected and the country resilient. These modes frequently merge, providing resilience in the delivery of goods, but more appreciation and understanding of the opportunities presented by multimodal logistics is needed to ensure their full potential can be reached. The remainder of this article will focus on some of the key challenges in each mode.

Air transport
Night flying continues to be key topic within the air cargo community. The UK government launched a consultation, which closed on 9 May, on the noise impact of night flights at UK airports with the aim to ensure that operations are managed so the noise from aircraft taking off and landing at night does not outweigh the positive benefits to the economy. As a significant volume of cargo is shipped between 23:29 and 01:59 across the UK, it is important that there are no further restrictions implemented on night flying, as this would curtail the ability for both inbound and out bound cargo to be moved “just-in-time” using overnight flights and will become a barrier for achieving growth.

The findings from this consultation will help set the groundwork for future measures on how to manage aviation from October 2025. Logistics UK proposes that as aircraft become cleaner and quieter, night flight restrictions should be reviewed to consider a more sustainable position for the sector that potentially reduces the current restrictions. While passenger flights are often prioritised, air cargo supports approximately £86 million of the UK’s economy annually and must also be considered an important sector of aviation in its own right. Logistics UK remains clear that should night flight restrictions be reduced, providing noise pollution levels can be controlled, freighters must not be sidelined to passenger flights when slot availability is reviewed. There must be a transparent system providing fair access for freighter services, ensuring continued capacity for cargo. Logistics UK will continue to work with government to make sure the sector receives the recognition and access it deserves to ensure its role in supporting the wider economy can be maintained.

Rail transport
Rail freight carries over £30bn in goods each year, yet currently faces notable capacity constraints. Maximising the role of rail as part of an integrated logistics system will see additional modal shift towards the sector, which would help to significantly reduce rail emissions. However, this must be supported by increased capacity on the railway network for freight, as well as additional infrastructure and space for logistics to facilitate multimodal interchange at key hubs.

There are many benefits to moving goods via rail, especially bulk and aggregates. Having a higher payload compared to an HGV, each freight train can do the job of up to 76 HGVs. In addition to being a lower emission transport mode, the use of rail freight can also reduce congestion – and additional emissions – by cutting the number of vehicles on our busy roads. This is most evident in large cities, such as London, where a high volume of materials such as cement and aggregates are required to support the development of housing, business facilities and major infrastructure projects. Despite the benefits, rail freight is stagnating, largely due to the reduced track capacity compared to passenger.

As an industry, rail is currently undergoing a period of reform and the creation of a dedicated Strategic Freight Unit – tasked with more national coordination and setting a long-term freight growth target – is an encouraging step forward in addressing the issues faced by the sector. Logistics UK is working with government, members and Great British Railways to ensure all available opportunities to support rail freight are capitalised on, and that challenges such as infrastructure and track upgrades – some rail structures have been in use since the 19th century – are considered ahead of time, to ensure they do not block any potential growth.

Road transport
Within road, decarbonisation infrastructure is a key priority to enable operators to achieve the industry’s Net Zero commitments. As of 1 January 2023, a total of 37,055 public electric chargepoints were recorded in the UK, which when compared to 1 October 2022, shows an increase of seven per cent. Although this progress is encouraging to see, the fact remains that monthly installations need to rise by 288 per cent to meet the 300k target by 2030. Alongside this, attention must now turn to ensuring that all electric vehicles (EV) can use the public charging network from the start of roll out. Planners and network operators must recognise and accommodate the needs of electric vans – which require larger spaces, longer reach cables and rapid charging facilities – so operators and drivers have confidence that chargepoints will be available and suitable for their use when needed. Attention must also be turned to the infrastructure required for decarbonising heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). While trials for the larger vehicles are still ongoing, government must publish an infrastructure strategy to allow businesses the confidence to invest in the alternative fuels needed to achieve decarbonisation targets.

Elsewhere in road infrastructure, Logistics UK is also calling for the swift delivery of schemes already in pipeline, such as Lower Thames Crossing, Liverpool port access and Port of Dover improvements. With 90 per cent of everything we buy as an island nation arriving at our shores by sea, it is vital that the appropriate infrastructure is in place for multimodal connections.

Shipping
While so many of our goods arrive at our shores by sea, their onwards travel is often via road, rail or inland waterways. However, there are currently various connectivity issues that block the potential for further growth to the sector. As a result, it is vital that there is a wider understanding – and action – among government of the required connections between these modes and the need for sufficient infrastructure around the ports to support the UK’s trading ambitions.

Overall, logistics is a highly complex, and interdependent, multimodal industry. While road may have been the traditional choice for the delivery of goods, the supply chain relies on multimodal solutions to ensure goods continue to be delivered across the UK.

Logistics UK will continue to work with its members across the various modes to seek solutions to the challenges that affect our industry, and continue to communicate with government to ensure these are implemented and the UK remains a successful trading nation.

For more information, please visit: www.logistics.org.uk