Scottish Freight grant to save a million lorry miles a year
Friday 01 Oct 2004
Up to one million lorry miles will be removed from Scotland's roads every year as a result of Freight Facilities Grants awarded by the Scottish Executive. The awards made to WH Malcolm and ARR Craib will enable the companies to deliver Asda goods from a depot in Grangemouth to four stores in the Aberdeen area by rail rather than road.
The combined awards of over £250,000 will help pay for new loading and unloading equipment. The total cost of the equipment is £688, 000, with the two companies providing the balance of the funding. The environmental benefits of the project have been estimated at £2.3 million over five years.
Transport Minister Nicol Stephen said: "This award is good news for drivers using roads to and from the North East and for the environment. It also shows how a small but targeted project can lead to major benefits in reduced congestion and pollution.â€
The new equipment will allow the movement of over 4,000 containers per year to the Asda stores in Middleton Park, Bridge of Don, Portlethen, Bridge of Dee and Dyce. Adam Spiers, ASDA General Manager - Transport Scotland, said: "Over the past months, we've been steadily increasing the amount of goods sent to Aberdeen by rail. That's because we can reduce costs and also make a real difference to the environment - a virtuous circle that's good for customers and even better for our futures."
To date, the service has taken approx. 17,500 miles (1944 gallons of diesel) off the road per week for the company, equating to 910,000 (101,111 gallons of Diesel) per year and saving 41 tonnes of solid carbon per year.
|
