38th Daily Rail Service From the Port of Felixstowe

[By: Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe]

The 38th daily rail service has been introduced at Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe. The new service is operated by GB Railfreight for Maritime Transport and connects the port with Birch Coppice in the Midlands.

The new service is the 15th operated by GB Railfreight and the 12th daily rail connection from the port to destinations in the Midlands.

Commenting on the latest addition to the port’s roster of rail services, Robert Ashton, Operations Director at the Port of Felixstowe, said:

“Increasing the proportion of traffic moving by rail is an important part of our strategy to offer the widest possible range of sustainable transport options through the Port of Felixstowe. We are investing in new plant and equipment as part of our own drive towards net-zero and are working with partners, including GB Railfreight and Maritime Transport to help others remove carbon from their supply chains.

“With three dedicated rail terminals at the port we offer more rail services to more inland destinations with greater frequency than any other UK port.”

Julie Garn, General Manager Intermodal, said:

“Working closely with Maritime Transport and the Port of Felixstowe, this new service will play an important part in alleviating some of the pressure facing the UK supply chain. Increasing the number of services from Felixstowe is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to meet growing consumer demand, with an average freight train removing up to 76 HGVs from the road.”

John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal and Terminals, Maritime Transport, added:

“We are thrilled to launch this new service with GB Railfreight. Our investment in new routes, new equipment, and our terminals enables us to provide the most advanced logistics solutions, and reflects our drive to deliver increased resource at a time when the industry is facing huge challenges. We have achieved unrivalled success in the intermodal sector in a very short period of time, but we are only at the start of a journey that will continue to see us challenge the industry norms and accelerate modal shift.”

As part of its commitment to reducing carbon, the port recently placed an order for 48 battery-powered terminal tractors and 17 zero-emission remote controlled electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

The destinations currently served by rail from the Port of Felixstowe are: Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Teesport, Birmingham, Birch Coppice, Doncaster, East Midlands Gateway, Hams Hall, Wakefield, Ditton (Widnes), Rotherham, iPort Rossington and Cardiff.