Port of Felixstowe expands rail facilities

The Port of Felixstowe has commissioned two new rail-mounted gantry cranes at its North Rail Terminal. The cranes were manufactured by Liebherr and co-financed by the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Network programme.

With nine rail cranes and 16 sidings at its three terminals, the Port of Felixstowe says it is the largest intermodal rail facility in the country. In 2014, the port handled 890,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and 60 arrivals and departures every day. It says rail business is 20% higher than when the North Rail Terminal opened in 2013.

DB Schenker, Freightliner and GB Railfreight run services to destinations including Birmingham, Manchester, Trafford Park, Scunthorpe, Hams Hall, Daventry and Coatbridge.

Port of Felixstowe Chief Executive Clemence Cheng said: “The frequency of services we can offer makes rail a much more reliable and viable alternative to 17 destinations in the UK, helping to reduce road congestion and allowing customers to strip carbon out of their supply chains. The new cranes will help us to move even greater volumes by rail.

• For more on this subject, see RAIL 774 published on May 13 2015