Results presented at the 34th RFG Annual Conference
8 October 2026
Last week, our CEO Adam Parkinson presented the results of our 90mph intermodal trials at the 34th Annual Rail Freight Group Conference in London.
Today, intermodal trains run at 75mph. That means they wait in loops and get passed by passenger services. Our question was simple: what happens if freight can keep up with passenger trains?
We tested it in three stages: eight months of pre-trial modelling, two weeks of technical trials at Acton Bridge, and two weeks of performance trials between Mossend and East Midlands Gateway.
We used Class 93 tri-mode locomotives and Freightliner FFA-G "Twin" wagons.
What we learned:
🔹 50% faster than existing rail freight services on the same route
🔹 58% less energy used than the newest eHGVs
🔹 1,100kWh generated per journey, enough to power an eHGV for over 500 miles
🔹 Significant customer fleet capex savings per route each year, from needing a smaller fleet
🔹 1 train path per hour could be generated on existing infrastructure, without a shovel in the ground needed!
On a route like Hinckley to Mossend, high-speed intermodal can match or beat road on journey time, and at a fraction of the energy.
Thank you to the Rail Freight Group and Waterfront Conference Company for having us, and to RSSB, Network Rail, DPD UK, Rail Operations Group, Freightliner Ltd, Connected Places Catapult, Department for Transport (DfT), and GoLink Advisory Group for making the trials happen. If you'd like to talk about what 90mph freight could do for your supply chain, get in touch.
Below: Delegates at the RFG 2026 Annual Conference, hosted at Addleshaw Goddard LLP's offices in London.
