Although road transport continues to be one of the most popular modes of domestic freight movement, more and more independent freight forwarders of our times are choosing rail transport for shipments that are not time-sensitive. The cost-effectiveness and reliability of railways are two major reasons for the popularity of rail transport but these days many forwarders are choosing this mode of transportation for environmental concerns as well. But, which are the reasons of this re-emerging popularity? in this blog article, we are going to talk about them.

1. Shipping by train is eco-friendly

Talking from an environmental perspective rail freight is much more eco-friendly than air, road or ocean transport and this is the reason behind the renewed enthusiasm for rail freight. For instance, the international freight train from China to Northern Europe consumes around 5 tons of carbon-dioxide whereas air freight consumes 139 tons! Your consumers are now increasingly concerned about the planet and the reduction of carbon emission by choosing rail freight will improve your CSR profile and portray your company in a good light.

2. More dependable

Rail freight is an extremely dependable form of freight transit since the movement of your cargo is not going to be affected by weather conditions like rain, fog or storm. This makes railway an extremely punctual transportation option that can only be beaten by airfreight. The continuous investments in rail tracks, railway infrastructure, terminals, routing, etc have made railways much less prone to accidents when compared to HGVs. With GPS tracking on the train, your cargo is going to be protected throughout the transit time eliminating all chances of losses or theft. This also allows the carriers to pinpoint the exact location of their client’s cargo and offer detailed info about the position of the container in case of an unexpected incident.

3. Better speed than road transport

Railways give you the greatest speed for long distance movement than any other mode of transportation excluding airways. Making use of railways will ensure that there are minimum obstructions in the form of traffic. Moreover, rail transport with its fixed schedule and route is way more organized than road transport. Shipping cargoes from China to Europe takes 25 days by a train while it takes around 40-45 days by ocean.

4. Greater loading capacity

Trains can haul a much greater load than road freight and is best suited for moving heavy and voluminous cargoes over a long distance.

5. Cost-effective

The cost-effectiveness of rail freight is yet another important reason for its increasing popularity. When you put your freight in a scheduled train you get to save a lot of money than any other mode of land transport. The primary reason behind the cost-efficient pricing of railways is that the freight trains come with a lot of space for carrying a large volume of cargo. Freight companies are also known to joint charter a train with another company for moving shipments on a similar route. This way they can save even more money.

6. Rail freight combined with road transport offers increased flexibility

Using rail freight as a part of your intermodal strategy is a tried and tested way of boosting your efficiency while reducing costs. Trucks can be utilized to move the cargo from the origin to the rail terminal and then from the terminal to the consignee’s destination.