MULTIMODAL TRAIN AND TRAILER FLEET TAKES THE STRAIN AND DELIVERS THE GOODS

Eddie Stobart's Train from Spain uses Marshall Fleet Solutions to Assist with Refrigerated Rail and Road Transport at UK Terminal

Cambridge 27th April 2010; 45 Eddie Stobart refrigerated trailers, based at the Barking Multimodal Freight Terminal, are to be maintained by a dedicated team of Marshall Fleet Solutions engineers who are on standby 24/7 to provide assistance.

Stobart's containers travel by train to Valencia each week as part of a groundbreaking Iberian service in collaboration with rail giant DB Shenker. The train, which links the fruit and salad growing areas of southern Spain with the UK's major grocery retailers, comprises thirty chilled Thermo King containers, each controlled and monitored using the latest satellite technology, ensuring the produce arrives in prime condition.

Speaking of Marshall's performance Graeme Undy, Eddie Stobarts' Rail Freight Operations Manager for the UK and Europe said: "The on site support from Marshall Fleet Solutions ensures total peace of mind for the carriage of the goods from mainland Spain to the final delivery points throughout the UK."

Marshall Fleet Solutions engineering team have been actively involved since the inception of the weekly service in October 2009 in providing 24/7 response to the unforeseen problems on the train or the road network and scheduling all the service requirements for the Barking Multimodal terminal container operation.

"We are very proud of the support that our dedicated engineers provide to Eddie Stobart; their efforts are a very tangible sign of our commitment to making sure that we put our customers at the front of everything we do. The award of this contract by Eddie Stobart is a real vote of confidence in Marshall Fleet Solution," said Peter Callaghan, Chief Executive of Marshall Land Systems, the parent organisation for MFS.

The whole multimodal concept is proving to be a major success, saving millions of road kilometres, cutting CO2 emissions by thousands of tonnes and putting fresh fruit and salad on retailers' shelves within 55 hours of it being picked. Stobart plan to significantly increase these benefits by having 3 weekly trains running by the end of the year and extending the service into Murcia.