Freight

Today the prime role of the waterway network has changed from its original purpose as a slow speed freight transport link into a major national leisure resource. However there is still an important and continuing role for freight on the waterways and British Waterways is committed to expanding and developing this potential.

As pressures of pollution and road congestion grow, we firmly believe, along with government, that as much as 3.5% of all road freight currently carried could be transferred to the waterways.

In the East Midlands, the River Trent plays an important part in this with significant volumes of freight traffic. Some examples of freight traffic on the River Trent are:

1. On 14 May 2004 the vessel Terra Marique passed through Gainsborough Road bridge into the British Waterways owned part of the River Trent. At 80 metres long, 16.5 metres wide with a weight of 2211 tonnes, she is the largest ever vessel to navigate the river upstream of Gainsborough.

The Terra Marique, operated by Robert Wynn & Sons Ltd, was used to transport a 270-tonne transformer to Cottam Power station in Nottinghamshire.

If this load had been carried by road it would have travelled at speeds of between 5 and 12 miles an hours - causing significant disruption to road users.

By using the River Trent it means all road movement is entirely avoided.

2. In January 2004, the River Trent was used to transport the largest ever single load carried beyond Newark in Nottinghamshire. Two 280-tonne transformers were transported on the vessel Inland Navigator in two loads to the Staythorpe Power Station in Nottinghamshire. Again, had these been transported by road they would have caused major disruption to road users.

Inland Navigator is operated by Robert Wynn & Sons Ltd.

These two groundbreaking freight movements in 2004 demonstrate the freight carrying potential of the River Trent and has shown that the Trent can play a part in our plan to move 3.5% of road carried freight onto the waterways.