DP World Southampton will revise its Modal Shift Programme (MSP) incentive structure from October 1, 2026, reducing the payment to import clearing agents while increasing performance-based incentives for rail freight terminal operators.
Under the revised scheme, the incentive for import clearing agents will fall from £50 to £35 per laden import container moved within the MSP incentive zone. The new rate will apply through December 31, 2026.
At the same time, the incentive available to Rail Freight Terminal Operators (RFTOs) will rise from £20 to £35 per eligible container, subject to operators achieving their required rail-volume targets. The £10 MSP fee charged on all import-laden containers will remain unchanged.
The MSP was launched in September 2023 to encourage cargo owners to move import containers from Southampton by rail rather than road. The incentive zone extends approximately 140 miles from the port and includes intermodal railheads such as Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Daventry, East Midlands Gateway, London Gateway, Northampton and Portbury.
DP World said the programme has already shifted more than 100,000 additional containers to rail, helping remove millions of road miles and reduce supply-chain emissions. The company is refining the incentive structure to encourage sustained growth in rail’s share of inland container movements.
The next review of the programme is scheduled for the last week of November, with incentive levels for the period beginning January 1, 2027 expected to be determined following that review.
The revised structure places greater emphasis on performance by rail terminal operators while maintaining a financial incentive for import cargo to shift from road to rail, supporting DP World’s broader decarbonisation and congestion-reduction objectives.