Felixstowe Rail Scheme Approved

A new £60m scheme to improve rail links from the Port of Felixstowe has been given the green light by UK Transport Minister – Chris Grayling.

The multi-million pound scheme will dual part of the Felixstowe-Ipswich branch line to increase its rail freight cargo capacity by nearly 30% and should be completed by the end of 2019.

The loop, just under a mile in length, will allow two freight trains to pass each other. This will enable the number of trains running from Britain’s busiest container terminal to rise from 33 to 45 per day, and is expected to take nearly 22,000 trucks off the A14 road every year.

Uniserve Group have invested in the Port of Felixstowe by recently purchasing a 30 acre site to develop a Super DC (Distribution Centre). The building will be 40metres high and will include a bottling operation, general merchandise, chilled and frozen foods, clothing distribution and e-fulfilment operations.

Steve Ireland – Uniserve Seafreight Director – commented “This is great news for the port and for UK customers looking to improve their carbon footprint. Rail freight services from Felixstowe are already significantly reducing the number of trucks on the road.”

He added “Port centric operations rely on good rail links almost as much as road. News of the scheme’s approval adds further evidence to the benefits of our investment in high quality facilities at the port.”

For further information on the rail scheme, or Uniserve’s port centric operations and integrated supply chain solutions, please call 01708 259400 or email info@ugroup.co.uk.