The UK’s rail freight network is to receive millions of pounds of funding from the European Commission’s trans European transport network executive agency.
Projects awarded funding include £4 million (5m euros) towards the work to electrify the line between Liverpool and Manchester; £4 million (5 million euros) to increase capacity and train lengths on the Southampton to West Coast main line route, and investing in new cranes at the port; £3 million (4 million euros)to build freight loops near Ely, as part of the Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight route.
Felixstowe to Nuneaton is one of the UK’s busiest freight routes and installing the 775 metre freight loops will increase capacity, improve reliability and allow longer trains to be run.
“Freight haulage is the lifeblood of our economy and this investment will give a boost to our efforts to encourage more of it onto the railway, said Network Rail’s director of freight, Tim Robinson.
“As well as being the most environmentally-friendly way of transporting cargo, by moving more freight onto our rail network we can free capacity on other transport modes and keep the UK moving.”
The TEN-T Agency works to improve transport links across Europe, in order to increase economic and social growth.
