Prologis signs partnership with social media’s trailblazing trainspotter

PROLOGIS UK, one of the country’s leading owners and operators of logistics property, has unveiled a new partnership with Francis Bourgeois, social media’s most famous trainspotter.

Bourgeois shot to fame for his quirky first-person videos spotting trains on the UK’s rail network. He is now working with Prologis UK to shine a spotlight on the logistics sector.

Logistics is an often-misunderstood sector and Bourgeois and Prologis will be working together to showcase its greatness and the potential it holds. The partnership will focus on how logistics is integral to keeping goods moving around the country, both by road and by rail.

Bourgeois, said: “I’ve always loved trains and railways and enjoy sharing that with people through my videos. From the thrash to the tones, trains bring me so much joy but more importantly, Prologis and I both know how important trains are to almost everything we do, not just travelling.”

As well as celebrating the importance of, and opportunities offered by the logistics sector, Francis’ campaign with Prologis UK will be largely focused on Prologis RFI DIRFT (Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal). Spanning 20 million sq. ft., DIRFT is one of the most important pieces of logistics infrastructure in the country and handles freight 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Bourgeois, continues: “I can’t wait to show people how what they buy in a supermarket or online ends up in their shopping basket or front door. Seeing the size of the warehouses at DIRFT and the number of containers that are constantly being loaded and unloaded onto trains is really impressive.”

The partnership will explore the significant sustainability benefits rail freight offers - producing ten times less particulate matter than road haulage, generates a quarter (24%) of the equivalent road carbon emissions for every tonne moved and each freight train journey removes 76 HGVs from the UK road network.

Paul Weston, Prologis UK Regional Head, said: “We’ve been flying the flag for rail freight in the UK for some time and working with a high-profile advocate is a special opportunity for us. Francis’ passion, joy and enthusiasm is infectious and we hope that it will help show how important and integral logistics is to the country. We’ve got some exciting things planned.”

The partnership will build on the theme of ‘spreading joy’, something that’s been a key goal of Bourgeois from the start of his social media career.

Bourgeois concluded: “I want to spread joy and make people feel good with everything that I do, whether that’s chasing a rare train, or finding out more about the rail freight industry. I’ll share more about my work with Prologis very soon!”