Maritime’s two new locomotives unveiled

Following its recent agreement with DB Cargo (UK) Ltd to increase rail freight capacity with the launch of Maritime Intermodal, Maritime Transport Ltd (Maritime) and DB Cargo (UK) Ltd unveiled two new locomotives, Maritime Intermodal One and Two, during a train naming ceremony at Maritime's recently acquired rail terminal in Wakefield on Friday 29th March.

Liveried in Maritime's own branding, the class 66 locomotives weigh 127 tonnes each, and can haul up to 2,000 tonnes of freight over 40 platforms in both directions daily. The event also marked the official signing of Maritime’s new long-term contract with DB Cargo (UK) which, with effect from 1st April 2019, will see Maritime acquire an additional 4 locomotive services; three from Southampton to its Intermodal Freight Terminals in Tamworth, Trafford Park and Wakefield, as well as a Felixstowe to Wakefield service. The signing forms part of a 10-year deal with further scope for more services, something which Maritime is already focusing on with intentions to soon commence services ex. London Gateway in addition to targeting services from its new terminal under construction at East Midlands, Castle Donington which is due for completion in September. 

'Rail is now firmly part of our future, and although it's a challenging venture for us, it's one we are very much looking forward to,' stated John Williams, Group Executive Chairman of Maritime Transport.

He added: ‘To have these two locomotives in the Maritime colours is a great honour, and with DB Cargo (UK), we are ideally placed to offer increased resource to our customers whilst focusing on how we can offer a greener, and more efficient way of transporting goods.

The naming ceremony itself had a fantastic turnout, with representatives from major UK ports, global shipping lines, retailers and freight forwarders in attendance along with trusted suppliers, Network Rail, and industry media representatives. Those that came along heard speeches from both John Williams and DB Cargo (UK)’s Chief Executive Hans-Georg Werner, as well as a warm welcome from the Mayor of Wakefield, Stuart Heptinstall.

Maritime Intermodal Three is already in the paint shop with further locomotives to follow as Maritime looks to invest a further £20million in the meantime upgrading its terminals, plant, systems and more personnel to support its ambitions in rail.

Hans-Georg Werner stated: 'This new agreement is a really excellent fit for both DB Cargo (UK) and Maritime, and both Maritime Intermodal One and Two provide a much greater scope and scale to offer complete supply chain coverage,’

He added: ‘We look forward to working with Maritime in a deal that shows road and rail need not be in competition, but can deliver more through collaboration.'