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A new rail freight service from Inverness to Grangemouth could see up to 13,000 lorry journeys a year being cut from the A9 route, and MSP Murdo Fraser believes the move is good news for road users and for the environment.
Stobart Rail has launched the six-days a week service and the company also predicts that the new service will save 827,000 litres of fuel each year. Stobart Rail was awarded a Freight Facilities Grant of up to £982,000 from the Scottish Government to help transport Tesco goods between Grangemouth and Inverness.
The goods will be collected from Tesco’s distribution centre in Livingston, delivered to Grangemouth, and taken to the rail terminal in Inverness. Deliveries will then be made to stores in Inverness, Aviemore, Wick, Dingwall, Elgin, Thurso, Ullapool and Forres.
Commenting, Murdo said:
“I welcome the service that is being provided by Stobart Rail to transport Tesco’s goods by rail and this will result in a reduction of HGVs on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
“This initiative is good news for the environment and good news for the motorist due to less congestion. The new service shows that large companies such as Tesco understand that they have corporate social responsibility towards their customers and are willing to take action that will reduce their environmental impact as well as cut the number of HGVs on the A9.
“I want to see the Scottish Government do more to encourage businesses to think about how they transport their goods. I want the Scottish Government to help businesses in our area and actively encourage them to use rail freight instead of the roads. Many motorists who use the A9 get frustrated with the number of HGVs as there are so many on the road causing tailbacks, which can lead to accidents on the road.”
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