Waterloo Station’s cargo bike freight hub shows the next step for last-mile delivery in London

Avro team • January 7, 2026


Cargo bikes are everywhere in London now, but the real breakthrough is not the bike. It’s the hub.


A recent freight trial under London’s Waterloo Station tested a simple idea: bring parcels into a small city-centre hub, then complete the final leg by electrically assisted cargo bike. The pilot ran from 25 March to 23 July 2025 and was operated from a space in a railway arch beneath the station. GreenFleet


The results are the kind that make operators pay attention. Delivery Mates, the courier involved in the trial, travelled more than 4,600 kilometres and delivered over 20,000 parcels during the four-month period. The project reports more than 2,500 kilograms of CO₂ savings by shifting work away from vans and onto cargo bikes. GreenFleet


Why the freight hub matters more than the vehicle


It’s tempting to see cargo bikes as a straight swap for a van. In reality, the bigger challenge is where deliveries start and stop.

Central London is tight on curb space and full of short, stop-start routes. Vans burn time (and money) searching for somewhere to load, unloading in the wrong place, or creeping through congestion for the last mile. A well-placed micro hub changes that. It shortens the van leg, reduces parking pressure, and turns the “last mile” into something that a bike can do repeatedly and reliably.


This trial is also interesting because it used an underused asset. A railway arch is not a purpose-built depot. It is existing city infrastructure being repurposed. That matters because it suggests a path to scale that does not rely on building big new sites.


The hidden value: permissions, processes, and coordination


The trial partners included Cross River Partnership, Network Rail, the Department for Transport and the local authority. GreenFleet That mix hints at the real work: approvals, access, operating rules, and day-to-day coordination.


This is where many last-mile projects stumble. The bike is easy to buy. The hard part is getting a place to operate from, securing the right permissions, and building a handover process that keeps parcels moving without delay.


What happens next for London last-mile delivery



The project notes the longer-term potential for a “multi-modal” Waterloo freight hub, with inbound deliveries arriving by rail, river, or road, then outbound trips completed with low-emission vehicles. GreenFleet


That idea is worth watching. If London can develop a network of small hubs near demand, cargo bikes and other light electric vehicles become more than a niche. They become a standard part of city logistics.


The lesson is simple: if you want cleaner, cheaper, calmer delivery in city centres, focus on the hub first. The vehicle choice gets much easier after that.



Three white cars are sitting next to each other on a white surface.

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