PostNL delivers mail again after 25 years by rail 24/03/22

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Source: https://www.postnl.nl/over-postnl/pers-nieuws/nieuws/2022/postnl-weer-een-stap-duurzamer-na-25-jaar-weer-post-via-het-spoor.html#:~:text=Een%20duurzaam%20alternatief%20voor%20lange,op%20het%20traject%20naar%20Oslo.

 

PostNL will again transport parcels and letters by rail. A weekly trailer travels on a freight train operated by Skanerail, a Scandinavian operator of rail services between Coevorden and Oslo.

 

The Hague - PostNL wants to deliver completely emission-free in city centers by 2030 and emit a total of 80 percent less CO2 per kilometer than in 2017. To achieve this, PostNL is always looking for options to cover every kilometer as economically and green as possible within the Netherlands. and beyond. The train is a sustainable alternative for long-distance transport by plane or truck. After 25 years, PostNL will therefore again transport parcels and letters by rail. A weekly trailer will be launched on the route to Oslo.

How sustainable is it?

With this route from Coevorden to Oslo by rail, PostNL saves 70 percent CO2 emissions per year on this route. That's 30 tons of CO2. With this, PostNL, as one of the most sustainable logistics companies worldwide , is taking another step towards its ambitious sustainability goals.

From train to truck and back

The last postal train ran through the Netherlands in 1997. Rail became less and less popular at that time, because trucks were cheaper and it was easier to get to the distribution centers and sorting centers on the outskirts of the city. In 2022, rail transport will still be more expensive and complicated. But PostNL's green ambitions are far-reaching and we are working together with partners on solutions in the field of infrastructure and alternative fuels for greener transport.

PostNL plays a pioneering role in this sector. In 2021 PostNL will have scaled up the use of alternative fuels for transport to 35% (from 8% in 2020). In 2030 that will be 90 percent. At present, around 1,300 electric vehicles, large and small, are already being used for delivery. This number will grow significantly in the coming years. Partly because of this, PostNL has improved its CO2 efficiency in grams per kilometer by 18% in 2021 compared to 2020.

The international route

PostNL outsources international transport to long-distance carriers. The transporter sends a truck with trailer to the sorting center for international mail and parcels, the IMEC in The Hague. The truck takes the trailer full of mail and parcels for Norway to Coevorden train station. There goes the trailer on the train to Oslo. In Oslo, the trailer is collected from the train again and delivered to the Norwegian Post.

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