Highland Spring has unveiled a new rail freight facility in Blackford, Perthshire as part of its drive to transport goods sustainably and reach net zero by 2040.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially opened the facility (31 August), which will save 3,200 tonnes of C02 every year. Each train carries the equivalent to 22 HGVs and will transport containers of water more than 350 miles to Highland Spring’s external warehouse in Daventry daily. The move will see 40% of the water supplied from the Blackford bottling plant carried by train.
The project has been 10 years in development and is part of Highland Spring’s long-term strategy to invest in and develop innovative solutions to provide healthy hydration in an environmentally sustainable way.
Nicola Sturgeon commented: “Getting the Highland Spring Rail Freight Facility to the point of opening and operating has been a complex task and everyone involved should be immensely proud of their achievements.
“Removing more than 10 million lorry miles from Scotland’s roads in the first 10 years of operation will go a long way to improving the environment and lives of those close by as well as helping the country as a whole achieve net zero. I am confident other businesses will now follow suit.”
