Amtrak Express Parcels has launched a special overnight delivery service for perishable and delicate items.

Using facilities first developed for wine deliveries and a service called WineTrak, Bristol-based Amtrak has developed special handling facilities for foods, drinks and other perishables or fragile goods.

It said with demands for fresh produce supplied by specialists without their own transport operations, more and more perishable items are being carried by overnight parcel services. With the new service, fragile items are marked and moved with care by hand from collection to delivery.

Items are routed to a dedicated fragile goods distribution centre for sorting by hand and aided by special wireless scanning technology. Premium service options ensure delivery by set times in the morning, such as before 9am, 10am or Noon.

Amtrak also offer unattended delivery services where goods are left in a safe place if no-one is in.

The company said the service is also in response to the boom on Internet sales. Food retailers, manufacturers and specialist shops are increasingly selling via websites and catalogues.

This has led to a big increase in the demand for home deliveries. Amtrak already specialises in this area and has developed services designed to be convenient to people at home, including evening deliveries.

Jonathan Smith, managing director, said: “Traditional parcel carriers cannot manage delicate items due to mechanical handling equipment so we have created a completely separate handle-with-care channel to deal with these items.

“The system was put to good use last Christmas when we handled over 30,000 bottles of wine each night. We have also launched a host of services to make deliveries to homes much more convenient.

“These include evening and Saturday deliveries and if there is the demand, we may offer afternoon deliveries for restaurants and other catering outlets," adds Smith.