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Coca-Cola is working with Maritime Transport and GB Railfreight to distribute its soft drinks between manufacturing sites and third party warehouses across London and Yorkshire by train instead of road.

It said that when running at full capacity, the change will see up to 2.5m cans and bottles of some of the world’s most popular beverages delivered by rail each day.

The decision should see Coca-Cola reducing its carbon emissions by nearly 50% compared to doing the work by road.

The company is aiming to reduce CO2 across its value chain by 30% by 2030 and then net zero by 2040.

The move represents Maritime’s first domestic distribution intermodal service, which will see the movement of heavily modified containers by rail six days per week, with Maritime’s distribution fleet making final mile deliveries to Coca-Cola’s sites.

The switch will save a total of almost four million road miles per year and remove a total of 15,000 lorry journeys from UK roads.

Alex Williams, Maritime Transport distribution MD, said: “The launch of this dedicated service in partnership with Coca-Cola underlines the flexibility and breadth of our business’ capabilities.

“Converting domestic cargo from road to rail is a key strategic development for us in our ambitions to reduce emissions and offer greater resource to our customers.

“Our advancements in the distribution and rail freight sectors have enabled us to provide a truly networked, end-to-end logistical product to our customers, whilst our commitment to developing innovative solutions that allow more freight to be moved by rail is a great fit for Coca-Cola, and means we are well-positioned to support their journey towards a net-zero future,” he said.

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