Sustainable Waterloo Freight Hub trial aims to cut emissions and congestion

A six-month trial to transformed underutilised space at Waterloo Station, London, into a sustainable freight hub to cut emissions and congestion has been launched.

Cross River Partnership has been working with Network Rail, the London Borough of Lambeth, the Department of Transport, London and Continental Railways and Waterloo Station to launch the initiative, which will see delivery journeys switched from diesel vans to cargo bikes,

The Waterloo Freight Hub has been funded by Defra through the Smarter Greener Logistics programme, that aims to minimise the impact of freight on noise, air quality, traffic and pavement space by making improvements across 14 London boroughs and three London Business Improvement Districts.

The six-month trial will see parcels received at an arch space. They will then be sorted and sent across London to residents and businesses by 10 electrically-assisted cargo bikes.

Ross Phillips, sustainable transport manager at Cross River Partnership, said: “We hope the trial can help to demonstrate the long-term potential for transforming the way that freight comes into, and is delivered across, London.

“We can look forward to less congested streets, smaller/quieter and non-polluting vehicles, as well as deliveries via rail at a fraction of the cost of road transport.”

The Waterloo Freight Hub supports the delivery of Defra’s clean air targets, the DfT’s decarbonisation plans, Network Rail’s 2050 target and the London Borough of Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan, which includes a Net Zero target by 2030.

CRP will be sharing learnings from the trial to support the delivery of a longer-term, much larger, Waterloo Freight Hub, with middle-mile deliveries made by road, rail and river.

The rail network is unique in being able to transport huge loads of goods at a fraction of the cost of road transport, particularly into dense, urban centres, where vital train station infrastructure is at the heart of our cities, including London.

Waterloo could act as a crucial nexus of freight across London and Britain to support the decarbonisation of freight transport, providing boosts to green jobs, productivity, air quality and making London a safer and more sustainable city.

The trial is one of many actions which have been identified in Cross River Partnership’s London Freight Flows Study, which calls for organisations to adopt new vehicle technologies and processes to create a logistics system that benefits businesses, residents and the environment.