Tesco has unveiled its new refrigerated rail freight service in the UK in a bid to reduce the number of lorries on the road and lower its carbon emissions.

The initiative comes as a result of the Big 4 grocers partnership with Direct Rail Services.

The new low-CO2 rail service train will transport chilled goods from Tilbury to Coatbridge and operate twice a day, seven days a week.

As a result, the rail service is expected to help the supermarket deliver products such as sprouts, parsnips, carrots, onions just in time for Christmas.

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“Our rail service will be an important part of our efforts to deliver a fantastic Christmas for our customers, but the journey doesn’t stop here as we continue to increase the number of containers we transport by rail,” Tesco UK & ROI chief executive Jason Tarry said.

Over the past year, the supermarket has increased the number of containers with produce destined for stores transported by rail by nearly 50%.

The new partnership comes as part of Tesco’s target to hit net zero in its operations by 2035.

It will see Tesco remove at least 17,000 containers from the road each year, saving around 7.3 million road miles and nearly 9000 tonnes of CO2 emissions respectively.

Tarry added: “This new service reflects our continuing commitment to rail which has clear advantages for our business, our customers and the planet.”

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