We should not trivialise the prospect of a widening conflict in the Middle East. Yet it would be equally naïve to ignore the operational consequences for rail freight. From energy pricing to shipping disruption, the impacts are already beginning to register. What feels abstract today can become painfully concrete tomorrow, especially in a system as tightly balanced as Britain’s modern logistics chain.

Energy shock travels fast

Before anyone in the cab of an electric locomotive feels too comfortable, consider the source. Oil shock means energy shock. It ripples through every generation mix, every tariff, and every contract. Prices rise across the board, often faster than operators can react, hedge or recover.

We are reminded from cradle to grave that everything in the modern economy depends on oil. From baby wipes to coffins, from plastics to packaging, hydrocarbons underpin production and distribution. Those goods, or the materials that make them, arrive on our shores before moving inland by rail and road. When oil markets tighten, the entire system feels the strain.

Shipping disruption is the hidden threat

Global shipping routes are the second front. The Trades, as the industry calls them, are already shifting under pressure. Ultra Large Container Vessels (those behemoths with twenty-thousand TEU on board) are being forced out of position, creating imbalances that cascade through port rotations and inland schedules. British port managers remain highly adept, masking much of the disruption for now, but the pressure is building.

Rest uneasy. The disruption will come as surely as fuel prices climb. Delays and diversions at sea translate directly into delays and diversions on land. Containers arrive late, or not at all, and the carefully choreographed dance between quay cranes, rail terminals and inland hubs begins to falter. The rhythm of the network is disturbed, and recovery is rarely immediate.

There is only so much strain the freight system can absorb. Britain benefits from a high degree of intermodal interoperability. Scheduled services connect ports to inland terminals with near-metronomic regularity. But “near” is doing a lot of work here. Even small perturbations can propagate quickly when margins for error are thin, and capacity is tightly allocated.

A just-in-time system under pressure

Britain’s logistics model compounds the problem. The country has a chronic shortage of modern storage. For years, we borrowed from the Japanese concept of Kanban and just-in-time supply. In practice, we adapted it with a distinctly British mentality. We make do, mend, and hope that timing remains perfect. That approach works until it does not. Unfortunately, Britain is not so adept at adopting Kaizen, that other Japanese technique of continual improvement.

The result is a system with minimal slack. Warehousing capacity, particularly A-grade, rail-connected space, is in short supply. There is no shortage of planning applications for new facilities, but delivery lags demand. Much of the existing stock will fall out of compliance or become uneconomic within a decade. Unfortunately, the need is immediate, not theoretical.

When ships fail to arrive just in time, Britain finds itself in a bind. Delayed shipping means delayed inventory. Without adequate storage, there is nowhere to buffer the disruption. Goods either pile up in the wrong place or fail to arrive where needed. Rail freight sits in the middle of this imbalance, expected to respond but constrained by infrastructure and capacity.

We muddle through until things go wrong. Right now, things are going wrong on a scale that could yet deepen. War in the Middle East may feel distant, but its consequences are already reaching the Midlands and beyond. Supply chains do not respect geography in the way we might like to imagine.

What happens next for rail freight

Predicting the next phase is a hazardous exercise. If you can do it accurately, you are probably already profiting handsomely. For the rest of us, the outlook is uncertain. Freight trains will continue to run. Operators have tools to manage short-term cost shocks, including fuel hedging, which can soften the immediate impact of rising diesel prices (and electricity, you smug overhead wire-types).

The greater risk lies not in the trains themselves, but in what they carry. Volumes are vulnerable to sudden swings. Intermodal services may continue to operate according to the timetable, but with fewer containers on each consist. Frequency could also come under pressure if demand weakens or becomes erratic. Operators dislike volatility, and this is volatility writ large.

There is also the broader economic context to consider. If commodity prices drive inflation higher and suppress consumer spending, the downstream effects will be significant. Warehousing schemes may stall. Projects that look viable today could remain on the drawing board. And without goods to store, the rationale for new logistics infrastructure begins to weaken.

Railways as barometer and bellwether

We often talk about freight in abstract terms, much like the railway itself. Tonnage, paths, capacity, utilisation. Yet the railway is more than a set of metrics. It is an industrial barometer, an economic bellwether, and a national lookout. Changes in flow patterns, volumes and commodity mixes tell us a great deal about the health of the wider economy.

In times of stress, that role becomes even more pronounced. The rail freight sector is both resilient and exposed. It can adapt to disruption, but it cannot escape it. What happens in distant oil fields and contested shipping lanes will, sooner or later, be reflected in train loads, terminal activity and balance sheets across the UK.

Let us hope that the coming months do not force the railway into an even more ominous role. For now, it remains a vital indicator of how well the system is coping. But if the shocks intensify, it may also sound a warning signal. That is one alarm the industry, and the country, would rather not have to hear.

The latest example is DP World’s London Gateway, where ongoing congestion has led shipping lines to review port rotations. In response, one shipping line has diverted a scheduled port call to Southampton. The disruption underlines the flexibility of modern deep-water hubs. It also highlights how, even on Britain’s heavily used network, rail can reshape how congestion is managed across the UK port fleet.

London Gateway responding to its success

Persistent congestion at London Gateway, driven by surging import volumes, particularly from China, has lengthened berth waiting times and threatened schedule reliability. In response, French carrier CMA CGM has temporarily adjusted its South America – Europe trade route (designated “SAFRAN”) to call at Southampton instead of London Gateway. That temporary adjustment has been going on for more than half a year. It has now been extended through the first quarter of 2026.

Down on the north bank of the Thames, DP World, the owner of London Gateway, is engaged in a radical expansion of the terminal. The programme, reported in March, is going from four shipping berths to six. It will also see  the building of a second rail terminal. Southampton benefitted from a Network Rail programme, completed in 2021, which eased rail access. DP World, which operates both terminals, runs a five-times-a-week inter-port rail service, enabling containers to be transferred directly between the two southern English terminals. The Dubai-headquartered company also encourages shippers to move containers inland by rail by offering a financial bounty.

Rail-led resilience beyond the South East

The same model is visible at other British intermodal ports. At Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, rail already accounts for around a third of all container movements. It’s often rightly quoted as Britain’s busiest rail freight terminal, which happens to have a port attached. On the West Coast, Liverpool has positioned itself as a rail-connected alternative for deep-sea and short-sea services. The port’s direct rail access to the West Coast Main Line is frequently cited in expansion proposals, even as grand as an autonomous rail tunnel under the city to facilitate better freight access.

Further north, Grangemouth illustrates how rail underpins resilience at short-sea container ports. It doesn’t handle vessels of the size alongside at London Gateway and Southampton. However, it is a strong connection for feeder and European short-sea services. Grangemouth has rail right onto the quayside and functions as a strategic redistribution hub, rather than just a local terminal.

Pressure likely to persist

London Gateway is progressing with its expansion programme aimed at increasing capacity and improving resilience. However, with global trade flows remaining volatile and vessel sizes continuing to grow, congestion risks are unlikely to disappear entirely. The move by the French carrier CMA CGM (see WorldCargoNews.com) merely reflects the health of the UK maritime sector as a whole. The ability to switch port calls without breaking inland supply chains depends increasingly on rail connectivity.

In the near term, carriers are expected to continue fine-tuning rotations. Port operators are being encouraged to lean more heavily on rail. The UK government is eager to see its net-zero targets aided by more both inter-port and port-to-inland rail freight. As Britain’s port fleet continues to reshape and regenerate, rail is proving a central tool for Britain’s intermodal logistics.

In Suffolk, on the east coast of England, Felixstowe is dealing with its dual role as far and away the busiest port in Britain, but it’s also far and away Britain’s busiest rail freight terminal. However, the real story is that Felixstowe is far from alone, and at least one challenger is coming up on the rails.

Britain’s rail freight champion is constrained

Felixstowe is often quoted among the British rail industry as the busiest terminal in the UK. It’s hardly surprising, given the size of the port operation and the importance of intermodal traffic to the modern rail freight sector. Three dedicated rail terminals are serviced by a complicated rail infrastructure that moves around 35 trains a day in and out of the port.

However, if anything constrains rail movements at Felixstowe, it’s where the traffic goes after leaving the port estate. The single-track branch line that serves the port rail yards is a brake on movements. More challenging, though, is the congested rail layout at nearby Ely, where port traffic competes for paths with mixed traffic from four other directions. Reconfiguring the layout (the long-overdue and already named Ely Area Capacity Enhancement programme) is a constant source of debate in the UK.

The rising contender

If Felixstowe is to lose its crown, which isn’t very likely, it would probably be taken by an unconstrained site, purpose-built for the modern trading volume. That might just describe rival DP World’s London Gateway, a new-build container port in Essex, that’s rapidly emerging as a formidable challenger in the UK’s rail freight sector. Opened in 2013, just 70 miles (112km) south of Felixstowe, the port has been designed with scalability in mind.

Currently, it dispatches around 22 intermodal trains daily, connecting to major freight terminals across Great Britain, including Hams Hall, Trafford Park, Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Daventry. Once daily, a shuttle operates, almost like an internal service, connecting London Gateway with DP World’s other UK facility, at Southampton. That, though, only scratches the surface. The port’s rail terminal is one of the largest in the UK, capable of accommodating six trains simultaneously. Plans are underway to develop a second rail terminal on site, which will radically increase handling capacity.

Sustainable transport options

“In rail, London Gateway is currently [handling] 22 trains a day with some additional trains starting,” said Andy Bowen, Chief Operating Officer, UK Ports & Terminals for DP World. “At Southampton, we’re feeding across the country, around 20 as well. Both ports are doing around 30 per cent rail modal share at the moment. We have an aspiration to continue to put more cargo on the rail.”

That aspiration is shared at Felixstowe. Just over a year ago, Robert Ashton, Operations Director at the Port of Felixstowe, answered RailFreight.com and emphasised the significance of expanding rail transportation options. “Increasing the proportion of traffic moving by rail is an important part of our strategy to offer the widest possible range of sustainable transport options through the Port of Felixstowe”, he said.

Container commodity continues growth

Historically, rail freight has played a crucial role in serving UK ports, evolving from traditional bulk cargo transport to the modern containerised intermodal services we see today. The great container terminals – like Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton, but also Liverpool, Tilbury, and Hull- all have an interest in rail. Similarly, ports handling traditional bulk cargo, like Immingham-Humber (Britain’s busiest port by weight of cargo moved), Newcastle-Tyne and Liverpool again, rely heavily on rail to transport bulk commodities such as biomass and aggregates.

Intermodal rail freight now accounts for about half of all rail freight traffic in Britain, underscoring its significance in the national logistics network. It is the commodity that continues to grow. While Felixstowe remains the leader, London Gateway’s rapid expansion indicates a shift in the dynamics of UK intermodal rail freight. With its modern infrastructure and strategic location, London Gateway is on track to catch its closest rival. Nevertheless, both will continue to be pivotal, at least in terms of the UK’s intermodal rail traffic.

Similarly, the Antwerp-Bruges port states that there is relatively little congestion for sea ships, although barges can still encounter problems. The primary issue, according to their Rotterdam counterparts, is with hinterland transport.

Despite the decline of rail’s share in the modal split, Rotterdam says that rail freight is still indispensable resolving those problems. Antwerp also points to “robust infrastructure”, but does not single out rail as a solution for congestion issues.

Ongoing improvements and a role for rail

“In order to continue transporting the increasing flow of containers to the hinterland in an efficient manner, the Port of Rotterdam, [Dutch infrastructure manager] ProRail, and the Ministry of Infrastructure are investing in sustainable and efficient rail development”, the Rotterdam port says. It hopes to achieve sufficient rail capacity, reliable infrastructure and affordable rail usage fees in the Netherlands.

In addition, the APMT and RWG terminals in Rotterdam are currently getting an expansion, which is set to nearly double container capacity. What’s more, a digitisation programme by the name of Rail Connected looks to improve efficiency, transparency, and cooperation in rail freight. It does so through standardised data exchanges between terminals, rail operators, and carriers.

Those steps will contribute to an increase in container handling capacity, but disruptions and volatility will remain. And for that reason, there is no predictable end date for the port congestion. “It is important to make maximum use of the existing port infrastructure to strike a balance between the seaside and the hinterland”, the Rotterdam port adds. It wants to be resilient and have the ability to deal with future disruptions – and rail can play a role in that.

‘300 hours of strikes since the start of 2025’

Nevertheless, the union federation has warned that if the government did not honour its commitments, it was ready to initiate new forms of action in April. The suspension, if not a guaranteed end to the strikes and walkouts, will come as a huge relief to shippers, road hauliers and the ocean shipping community who said they have been causing serious disruption to the country’s supply chains and that a resolution was urgent.

The MEDEF, which represents more than 200,000 businesses, estimated that the strike led its members’ transport costs to increase by 23 per cent and a loss of around 25 per cent in sales was expected in February. More recently, various industry players in France claimed that, since the start of the year, ‘more than 300 hours of strike action have already been recorded, compared with 166 hours in 2024. This has caused delays, stock shortages and a loss of confidence among international customers, while increasing management costs, they underlined.

Going to other ports

According to port stakeholders, the industrial action has led to French exports being transferred to neighbouring ports in Belgium, the Netherlands or Italy in order to avoid the disruption. They note that the strikes have jeopardised the health of the French port and logistics ecosystem, a sector that includes more than 2,000 companies and 180,000 jobs and that the repercussions on the French economy have been dramatic.

Intermodal freight lifted from British ports stood at just over 1.6 million net tonne kilometres at the last count (December 2024). Since then, it’s been steadily increasing, and next month’s figures should show a further increase in that primary metric. Only established aggregate flows, from British quarries, match that figure for weight. However, it’s the volume of boxes that has the most potential to surge ahead.

Prominent freight constraint

Freight capacity remains a continuing issue for British rail operations. In contrast to European concerns, reported by RialFreight.com, boxes in Britain continue to move by rail – in as much as the network will allow. Several well-reported pinch points exist on the network, many of which constrain freight development. The West Coast Main Line in its entirety is often cited, along with the Castlefield Corridor in central Manchester. However, Ely, in the east of England, is the most prominent freight constraint.

The historic cathedral city, in the Cambridgeshire Fens, is at a complicated confluence of railways, including those that serve Felixstowe. Most days, container trains are more frequent visitors to the town than tourists. A plan exists, the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement, which awaits only one thing: funding.

Planning approvals

Not all projects are waiting for cash from the Treasury. Only last week, Direct Rail Services began operations on a five-days-a-week intermodal flow from Teesport to Manchester. As reported here on RailFreight.com, the flow is working on a trial basis for twelve weeks. That new east-west flow across the north of England stresses the importance of capacity on the Transpennine Route.

The highly-publicised Transpennine Route Upgrade, currently underway (reported on RailTech.com), should provide extra paths for freight. Although the project is passenger-led, Network Rail has been eager to emphasise the benefits for freight. That said, business interests have argued for even more provision for freight, not least to help address road congestion and connectivity in the region. Of course, everyone knows where Transpennine operations are constrained most of all. The planning approval for Intermodal Logistics Park North, at Newton-le-Willows, announced last month, could help take freight out of that intractable equation.

Shortage fuels growth

The UK government has said its economic policy now prioritises growth, but it has not abandoned environmental commitments. The East West Rail project, between Oxford and Cambridge, which now includes a tolerance for freight, was given firm backing by the UK government. The stars could be aligning for rail freight development, even if the financial impetus may not come from cash-strapped Westminster.

Ironically, what may drive freight growth most of all, is Britain’s severe shortage of warehousing. Addressing that issue has helped stimulate a raft of logistics park developments. These fields of warehousing have rarely met with favour from local interests. The UK planning process has meant that many projects have been held up for years. However, the inclusion of rail freight facilities has helped get several proposals over the approval line. It’s worth noting that there is no road equivalent of the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange designation. Boxes on rails are only likely to grow as a result.

Outside the box

It is a bit outside our usual scope of activities but that is why it is a good idea. Rather than talking about the rail freight industry alone, we talk about the connection of rail with other players in the supply chain. Ports, terminals and shipping companies play a great role in the efficiency of rail transportation in the hinterland.

What is more, is that RailFreight Connects is organised simultaneously with the Project Cargo Summit, another Promedia event. Participants of both events are able to join each other’s break out sessions and meet and mingle during the shared networking sessions. In this way, synergies are encouraged even more.

The agenda

So, what is on the agenda? We zoom in on the German railway network and its connection to the ports. We discuss rolling stock developments and terminal innovation. But we will also talk about the cranability of trailers, port congestion, sanctions, customs and the impact of ever-larger ships on the rest of the supply chain.

Do you want to be part of our event just a little outside the box? Register now for the RailFreight Connects summit in Bremen. The event is taking place on 6 & 7 September, just after the summer holidays. Be sure to get your seat secured!

Shapps ridiculed

Port traffic is critical to life on the British mainland. Napoleon knew it and, without making any cynical comparisons, the rail unions know it too. The current series of one-day stoppages, brought on by strike action by members of the trades union, the RMT, has brought to a halt the passenger train operators with whom it has a grievance. It has also forced many freight trains off the rails because the strike extends to Network Rail signalling staff, too, leaving the lights red across the network.

UK government sources have raised the issue of agency staff as a means of keeping the railways running. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has been widely ridiculed for making this claim. Industry observers have, at best called it a ‘red herring’ manoeuvre to distract from the real issues of pay, conditions and job security. Others have impolitely called his proposals incompetent and ill-informed of the highly-skilled nature of the rail industry.

Implications for rail freight severe

While the impact on freight flows has been played down by the industry at large, there are significant efforts being made behind the scenes. Operators have been largely silent, but some statements have been made. “Freightliner strongly urges Network Rail, the passenger operators, the RMT and Government to reach a swift agreement to avoid the significant disruption that the series of strikes will cause”, said a statement from that company. “Although Freightliner is not a party in the dispute, the implications for the rail freight sector and customers will be severe.” Freightliner admired in an interview given to regional media in Wales that less than a third of freight trains will be able to run during the strike week. “[This is] having a devastating impact on the UK’s already stressed supply chains.”

Carlisle-based Direct Rail Services, born out of a specialist career in nuclear fuel materials, has said it is aware that industrial action affects the rail network as a whole. “We are working closely with our customers and partners to ensure we can minimise its effects and deliver safe, secure and reliable services”, the company told print media sources.

As bad as it gets for rail freight

Network Rail, the government’s infrastructure agency, which will be replaced next year by the broader responsibilities of Great British Railways, is clearly stressed by the action. “We are working nonstop to keep nationally important freight flows – including supermarket supplies and fuel – moving during strike action”, said Jake Kelly, their Network Operations Director.

While the potential loss of bulk flows – particularly aggregates – may not have an immediate impact on the economy, there is only so much that ‘just in time’ Britain can stockpile. “The pattern of proposed strike action is about as bad as it gets for rail freight, with disruption likely across the entire week and into the weekend”, said Maggie Simpson, the director general of the Rail Freight Group, the sector’s representative body. “Even with contingency plans in place, the industry still expects serious impacts to supply chains. It is damaging to customer confidence in rail and future growth.”

Politics and supply chains

A political comment is curtailed today (Thursday, 23 June) in Britain due to two by-elections for Parliament taking place. The ruling Conservative Party currently holds both seats, but the strike is expected to play a part in the outcomes at both Wakefield in the north and in Devon in the southwest of England. Wakefield, traditionally a socialist-voting constituency, may be lost, and there are even concerns within the Conservative Party that the massive majority in Tiverton and Honiton earned in the last General Election may not be enough to hold on to the seat in the face of the crisis. The government’s supply chain of willing voters may be drying up at the wrong time.

Britain’s ports have already been in the firing line for industrial action this year, and the RMT has again led the way. In a widely-condemned move by ferry operators P&O, staff were summarily dismissed and replaced by agency staff to cut costs. It’s been a move that has badly backfired on the company, with government contracts cancelled, public boycotts and picket lines from Scotland to Southampton. In that dispute, the effect on rail freight has been marginal, but it has been felt much more so in the current conflict.

Similarly, just as the maritime industry was getting on top of the stack of containers washing up on all the wrong shores, the real supply chain is in danger of a new setback. Whether to offer more trains and alienate a substantial part of the population or take no proactive action and alienate a considerable part of the population is a choice with no tangible winning outcome. The rail freight industry is, once again, not through its own doing nor, for the first time, caught in the jaws of a dilemma.

Situation worsened at ports

Although one can see the opportunities for rail in meeting the increased transport demand of those ports, the situation in these ports today is problematic, according to Container xChange. Whereas these ports already faced an excess of containers due to the pandemic, the situation has now worsened.

“Under Container xChange’s Container Availability Index (CAx), an index reading of 0.5 describes a balanced market. Below 0.5 means there is a shortage of containers. Above 0.5 means there is an excess of containers. At the port of Felixstowe the average reading of the CAx so far in 2021 for a 40 ft container is 0.95, up from 0.79 in 2020. The CAx for a 20 ft box has increased from an average of 0.78 in 2020 to 0.90 this year”, the company explains.

“A similar picture is apparent at the port of Southampton where the CAx reading for a 40 ft container is 0.86 in 2021, up from an average of 0.71 last year. For a 20 ft container the CAx reading is 0.85, up from an average of 0.72 in 2020.”

Not so bad at all for rail

If you ask Maggie Simpson, director of the Rail Freight Group that represents the sector in the UK, this is not necessarily a bad thing for rail freight. For one because these ports have a good railway network to provide with the needed hinterland transport solutions. But also because there has been interest among shippers to shift their cargo to rail via the Channel Tunnel.

For rail freight, the situation at the Channel Tunnel is really problematic. “There have not been reports of congestion for freight trains, so this is an interesting alternative for shippers now moving their goods via truck or sea.” Moreover, trade has moved on, she acknowledges. “There has not been a major shift or stop of trade, as far as I observed.”

Problems started in 2020

“The UK’s leading gateway terminals for container traffic suffered congestion for much of 2020 prompting carriers to cut some calls and ship cargo in from European hubs via the Channel Tunnel, ferry services and feeder services instead,” said Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier, CEO of Container xChange.

According to Container xChange, European gateway ports have also suffered disruptions and delays due to pandemic driven container traffic surges. However, container availability at leading hubs is currently better balanced than in the UK.

“At the port of Rotterdam, the CAx average reading for a 40 ft container this year is 0.51, compared to an average of 0.40 in 2020. At Antwerp, shortages have been a problem, with an average reading for a 40 ft container of 0.21 in 2020 improving to a more balanced 0.41 this year.

Opportunities for rail

With increased demand for facilities at ports in the UK away from the Channel, and for sailings directly to Ireland, there are opportunities for rail freight operators to handle more traffic, particularly displaced intermodal flows, and move those loads on to inland distribution hubs. That could be good news for UK ports with rail facilities already in place, and may also spark a revival in Irish intermodal traffic.

As Simpson concluded in RailFreight Live last Friday, trade routes are likely to be affected long term by Brexit concerns, and port routes avoiding the Channel were likely to be permanent beneficiaries. This is something that rail freight companies could tap into as well.

Also read:

• Network Rail’s Charlene Wallace: ‘We need to be a voice for the future’
• New Brexit beating routes could benefit rail freight

Co-ordinated approach

Immediate implementation of unfamiliar new customs arrangements will, say the UK government, make delays inevitable. The guidance for medical supplies has come amidst fears that the coronavirus pandemic could flare up again in the winter, precisely at the time of transition.

“To build upon past work and ensure a co-ordinated approach, we will be asking suppliers to confirm their contingency plans”, says the UK Department of Health. In a letter to industry, the government department has asked suppliers to avoid the busy Channel ports, particularly Dover and Folkestone.

Plans for Shuttle services

There are already plans made by the local authorities in the South East county of Kent, to prioritise part of the motorway network for Channel trucks. The arrangements call for a fifteen-mile (24 km) stretch of the motorway to Dover to be segregated to handle traffic backed up en route to the freight shuttle and ferry services.

Rail Shuttle services, and direct freight through the Channel Tunnel have been operating without incident since the pandemic struck. Revised working practices have been in place for several months, and there have been no reports of disruptions resulting.

Red tape delays

The early warning from the UK government may encourage international traders to consider alternative ports around the UK. While the official message is aimed at medical supplies, other sectors are cautiously looking at ways to avoid costly delays. That most likely wold mean using other ports, further from the Continent, but potentially less likely to be disrupted by red tape delays.

The UK still has a legacy of trading ports around the coast, and many are still rail connected, even if facilities are under used or dormant. Smaller South Coast ports, like Marchwood near Southampton and Fowey near Plymouth are both rail connected and potential alternatives, while Southampton’s Freightliner Maritime Terminal is within a busy port with several daily intermodal flows already in place.

Alternatives ports of entry

Further around Great Britain, there are a number of East Coast ports that could step in to handle extra rail traffic. Associated British Ports Ipswich could take pressure off nearby Felixstowe, while North East deep water terminals like PD Ports Teesport (pictured above) and Port of Tyne are close to markets in the North of England. Grangemouth can handle traffic directly into Central Scotland and is well placed for distribution southwards. Infrastructure management agency Network Rail endeavours to keep a current list of intermodal port facilities available, via its website.

The initial government advice remains in place for medical supplies. However, the underlying condition is a potential headache for all sectors come the New Year.