20-Oct-2005

The Port of Felixstowe is celebrating record-breaking volumes transported by rail in September 2005. The Port handled 32,386 containers from 1st to 30th September 2005, beating all previous records.

This record rail throughput comes at a time when significant enhancements are taking place in respect of rail activities at the Port of Felixstowe.

In response to significant demand from customers, Logico, the new intermodal logistics service division of Freightliner, and Kuehne and Nagel have launched a dedicated service from the Port.

The service runs between Felixstowe and Daventry in the Midlands five days per week (Monday to Friday). The route is currently served by a 20-wagon train with a capacity of 60 TEUs, but this is expected to increase in the near future to a 22-wagon train with a capacity of 66 TEUs, operating on a six-day schedule. As the route to the Port of Felixstowe is gauge-cleared for 9’6″ ‘high cube’ containers, there are no restrictions on loads, which consist primarily of consumer goods destined for various distribution centres throughout the UK.

Richard Pearson, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, said:

“We thoroughly welcome this new rail service through the Port of Felixstowe, and are keen to encourage initiatives that will help to reduce further the number of lorries on the UK’s busy road network. As can be seen by the record-breaking volumes at the Port of Felixstowe in recent months, rail is becoming increasingly attractive to customers, as it is able to offer a reliable and cost effective means of transportation for freight to the important markets of the UK.”

There are a total of 24 inbound and 23 outbound trains per day from the Port of Felixstowe’s North and South Rail terminals. These trains link the Port to Coatbridge (Glasgow), Trafford Park (Manchester), Liverpool, Leeds, Cleveland, Birmingham, Cardiff, Tilbury, Doncaster, Selby, Wakefield, Hams Hall, Ditton and Daventry.