Felixstowe has officially opened its new North Rail Terminal doubling the port’s rail freight capacity.
The £40 million investment in the new rail terminal is part of a scheme to increase capacity at the port that includes the new Berths 8&9, opened in November 2011.
It allows the port to accommodate trains of up to 35-wagons length. Some six miles of new track has been laid for the terminal which provides nine additional tracks, making a total of 20 tracks on the port. It has the only traverser at a UK intermodal terminal.
The new terminal was inaugurated at a ceremony attended by The Duke of York.
Clemence Cheng, chief executive officer of Hutchison Ports (UK), owner of the Port of Felixstowe, said: “By allowing us to run longer trains, as well as more of them, it will allow users of the port to improve the efficiency of their supply chains and at the same time reducing cost for them.”
Cheng also announced that Freightliner will operate the 60th daily rail service from the port.
Transport minister Stephen Hammond said: “The investment in this terminal will also complement Network Rail’s own investment in the strategic freight network, which the Department for Transport is supporting.”
