Port of Felixstowe Opens New Rail Destination

A new daily rail service has been introduced at Hutchison Ports Port of Felixstowe in the U.K. The new connection, the 36th daily rail service from the U.K.'s largest container port, runs to Maritime Transport's newly opened East Midlands Gateway.

The new service is a response to growing demand for rail at Felixstowe and follows two new rail services to iPort Rossington and Hams Hall introduced in the latter part of 2019.

East Midlands Gateway, situated at Castle Donington in Leicestershire, is Maritime Transport's first strategic rail freight interchange. It is located alongside the M1 motorway on a 17-acre site. When fully operational it will be capable of handling up to sixteen 775-metre-long freight trains per day. In addition to this state-of-the-art terminal, Maritime also operates rail terminals in Tamworth, Tilbury, Wakefield and Trafford Park and has over 30 transport depots throughout the U.K.

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

Commenting on the latest development, Clemence Cheng, Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Felixstowe and Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, said: "Rail is an increasingly important element of the transport mix, and through three dedicated rail terminals at the port we offer more rail services to more inland destinations with greater frequency than any other U.K. port."