Royal Mail is bringing back the second daily delivery because of a surge in online shopping.
The postal giant confirmed plans to launch a second round later in the day, but only for parcels.
It comes 16 years after Royal Mail axed the second post to slash costs.
The new parcel service follows a big rise in people ordering items online and demanding next day delivery.
They include so-called “night owl” shoppers, who place orders very late on in the day.
Royal Mail said: “This second delivery will consist of next day parcels, typically purchased online from retailers the evening before, and larger items more appropriate for van delivery.
“In many cases, the delivery will be less than 24 hours after the order is made.”
The service is expected to be fully up and running by 2023 and will include three new automated parcel “hubs” being built.
Royal Mail also announced it would begin collecting parcels from people’s homes, including items returned after being bought online.
It is part of an overhaul, costing £1.8billion over five years, which will see Royal Mail become a “parcel led” business for the first time in its more than 500 year history.
But to fund it, Royal Mail wants to slash its dividend by 40%.
The cut is a blow for thousands of postal workers handed shares during Royal Mail’s controversial privatisation.
It comes as the company battles with a slump in the number of people posting letters.
The number of addressed letters sent slumped by another 8% to 10.3 billion in the year to March, and research for Royal Mail predicts this could drop to 7.6billion by 2023.
Meanwhile, parcel volumes rose 8% to 1.25billion last year.
Royal Mail’s annual revenues rose 2% to £10.6billion, but profits tumbled 26% to £509million.
