CRP and University College London’s (UCL) Department of Civil, Environment & Geomatic Engineering  collaborated to deliver an interactive workshop focused on exploring the challenges associated with achieving rail-to-road integration. The workshop, titled ’From Road to Rail: Optimising Last Mile Logistics’, brought together multiple stakeholders including rail industry leaders, local authority officers, sustainable last-mile delivery operators, and policymakers to explore collaborative solutions to enable express rail freight and last-mile delivery operations to work together. CRP delivered a comprehensive final report, drawing on our expert knowledge and the insights gained throughout the workshop. The report included actionable next steps and strategic recommendations for UCL to support continued progress and implementation. 

The session was attended by guests from a range of organisations including the Department for Transport, Department for Business & Trade, Innovate UK, Transport for London, Greater London Authority, Logistics UK and Amazon. The workshop combined informative presentations from industry speakers including Network Rail and Delivery Mates, with dynamic, hands-on breakout sessions to actively engage participants in exploring the integration of express rail freight with innovative last mile solutions. Attendees were encouraged to contribute ideas, exchange experiences, and share knowledge to help foster a deeper understanding of how these systems can work together to support sustainable urban freight operations in London.  

CRP was able to utilise its expert knowledge and experience in freight and logistics, as well as its strong event management skills to plan and deliver a successful workshop which aligned with UCL’s objectives. The session supported UCL to achieve the following key outcomes.  

The workshop was extremely well received by attendees and highlighted a clear appetite for continued in-person discussion and collaborative problem solving to build the case for integrating express rail freight into the UK logistics ecosystem. The workshop supported UCL with a critical opportunity to kickstart in-person, cross-sector dialogue to address a key urban freight challenge. Networking during the session supported UCL in fostering new connections across the public and private sectors, strengthening the foundation for future collaboration.  

CRP delivered an in-depth final report that analysed outputs from the workshop, identifying key themes, and recommended suitable next steps and actions. This has supported UCL in exploring further research on the topic and advancing the conversation around sustainable urban freight solutions. This initiative also established a new working relationship between CRP and UCL’s Department for Civil, Environmental of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, laying the groundwork for future joint efforts in this space. 

Read more about CRP and UCL’s collaboration in CRP’s Consultancy Case Study here: CRP Consultancy: UCL Workshop

For more information on the From Road to Rail: Optimising Last Mile Logistics workshop, please contact CRP Communications and Business Development Manager: Katie Smith.