The company is still at the stage of deciding whether the creation of a “pad” or siding is viable. If it is, then detailed plans will be drawn up.
Of the experiment, a Kraft-Heinz spokesman said: “The trial was a simulation which involved a locomotive and 30 unloaded cradles.
“There was no need to run actual containers as there were no means to unload at this stage. The train was scheduled to arrive just after the last passenger train of the day had passed through the piece of railtrack next to the National Distribution Centre, this was around 23.30. There was a series of locomotive moves and the testing of safety procedures like signalling, points management, level crossings etc and then a simulated shuffle (six cradles at a time) every 30 minutes. The warehouse teams also simulated and timed internal site movements to ensure that the target timings per container move was within requirements. The trial was a complete success in both timings and the testing of our safety procedures and the next stage will be to work with commercial partners to build a business case together. The project is around the feasibility of creating a ‘rail-pad’ on the land between the railway line itself and the National Distribution Centre."
“This will progress if a commercially viable business case can be put together.”
Kraft-Heinz is being helped by the University of Hull’s Logistics Institute to improve its freight movement across Europe. The Liverpool-Humber Optimisation of Freight Transport scheme is designed to help haulage of Heinz products from the Netherlands to Kitt Green.
