DP World Southampton announces updated MSP incentive rates for Q4 2026, focusing on performance-based rail incentives to enhance modal choice.
DP World Southampton announced on August 28, 2026, the incentive rates that will govern its Modal Shift Programme (MSP) scheme through the final quarter of the year.
The announcement sets out two distinct phases, giving freight forwarders, import clearing agents, and rail freight terminal operators a clear line of sight on rates that directly affect landed costs and modal choices.
The scheme continues to reward rail-linked import movements within a defined incentive zone of approximately 140 miles, reinforcing the terminal's position as a hub for intermodal container flows across South Wales, the West Midlands, and the East Midlands corridor.
The company confirmed that the existing rates remain in force until September 30, 2026. Under the current phase:
- The MSP incentive rate stays at GBP 50.00 per import laden container within the MSP zone, payable to the import clearing agent that makes the customs declaration.
- Rail Freight Terminal Operators (RFTOs) receive an incentive of GBP 20.00 per import laden container moved via rail within the MSP zone.
- An MSP Fee of GBP 10.00 applies to all import laden containers. This charge is unchanged.
DP World Southampton noted that the current scheme applies to rail movements only. It does not apply to road.
For the period running from October 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the company confirmed a revised rate structure that shifts weight toward performance-based rail incentives:
- The MSP incentive rate decreases to GBP 35.00 per import laden container within the MSP zone, again payable to the import clearing agent that makes the customs declaration.
- RFTOs move to an increased, performance-based incentive of GBP 35.00 per import laden container moved via rail within the MSP zone. This rate is contingent on achieving volume targets.
- The MSP Fee of GBP 10.00 per import laden container remains unchanged.
The adjustment lowers the agent-facing incentive while raising the potential return for rail operators that hit volume thresholds, aligning the reward more closely with sustained rail throughput.
The MSP Incentive Zone covers a radius of approximately 140 miles from the terminal and connects a network of intermodal railheads that support import container movements by rail. According to the company, the following railheads sit within the zone:
Avonmouth, Barry Dock, Birmingham Hams Hall, Birmingham (BIFT), Birch Coppice, Birmingham Landor Street, Bristol, Cardiff, Daventry, East Midlands Gateway, DP World London Gateway, Northampton, Portbury.
This network gives forwarders and cargo owners a defined set of inland options for routing import containers by rail, supporting predictable transit planning and modal decisions across a broad regional footprint. DP World Southampton confirmed that the next review of the scheme will take place in the last week of November 2026. Rates arising from that review will be communicated thereafter and will take effect on January 1, 2027. The company directed customers to dpworld.com/Southampton for details on the trial's performance, where updated figures and supporting information on the scheme are published.
DP World Southampton thanked customers for their continued business and invited any questions to be directed to local sales or customer experience representatives. Taken together, the two-phase structure and the November review point to a scheme that continues to prioritize rail-linked import traffic across the terminal's inland network as the year closes.
