Amazon is in the business of delivery. This time, it’s on the end of a rather large package itself. 200 new Mercedes electric trucks, to be precise. Let’s hope someone is in when they’re delivered. This package isn’t going to fit into the safe space. Also, as something of a bonus, Amazon has announced a major modal shift to rail.
The busy West Coast Main Line just got a little bit busier. Amazon is a quite popular online retailer with about 20 million product lines. It has announced that it will be using Europe’s busiest mixed traffic route to trunk deliveries between its hubs in Central Scotland and the English Midlands.
Further reduce on-road traffic
Amazon is electrifying its rail and road deliveries. It has made a commitment to rail freight, but it has placed what it calls Britain’s biggest ever order for electric trucks. For the first time in the UK, Amazon says it intends to move deliveries to rail at scale. The retailer has not disclosed details of the rail deal. However, it will be taking a proportion of the load off the motorways, and moving over to rail for the long haul between Central Scotland and the English Midlands. Don’t expect a train to be double parked down your street anytime soon, though. Amazon says its inter-hub operations are moving under the wires on the West Coast Main Line between Scotland and the Midlands.
However, the consumer experience will be largely unchanged. Last mile delivery will remain the responsibility of those familiar vans and their athletic drivers. “Products are picked up from stations close to local Amazon delivery and fulfilment centres, ready for sorting and packing ahead of customer deliveries,” said the retailer. “Products are also transported from stations and Amazon’s wider fulfilment network to ferry ports, to further reduce on-road traffic.”
More rail routes planned
The modal shift to rail comes despite the impressive range of the Mercedes electric vehicles. The new trucks have a range of 310 miles (500 km) on full charge. The total order will be split between the UK, which will take around 140 units. Amazon’s European operations in Germany will receive about 60 units. The retailer made similar moves last year in continental Europe.
The emphasis on the new electric road vehicle fleet understates the transformational potential of switching to rail. “More than 20 million products sold on Amazon are expected to travel on the UK’s electric rail network this year,” said the retailer. “[They’ll be] avoiding traffic congestion and carbon emissions, with plans to expand across further rail routes before the end of the year.” Other online retailing behemoths are available.