Rail freight journey times reduced from Port of Felixstowe to Midlands, UK
Source:lloydsloadinglist 2014-4-8 9:22:00
The new 1.2km-long double track railway link between Felixstowe and Ipswich cost £59 million and allows freight trains to run directly from Felixstowe to the Midlands at higher speeds.
Before this new rail link, freight trains had to travel into Ipswich and then back out again, which added an hour onto journeys in each direction.
Both rail and sea freight operators will benefit from the new Ipswich Chord with lower fuel costs and shorter journey times.
The Ipswich Chord connects the East Suffolk Line to the Great Eastern Main Line to Nuneaton, which is a popular route for freight.
Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited chief executive officer Clemence Cheng said: "The Port of Felixstowe already has a unique rail advantage.
"The 60 freight train movements we handle every day connects the port with 17 different inland destinations and offers shippers a frequency and range of services that are simply not available anywhere else."
Hutchison Ports, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, stated that rail freight has doubled in the last decade, with about 830,000 containers (28% of its UK freight) travelling by rail in 2013, and the numbers are expected to continue to grow.
Rail minister Stephen Hammond, who visited the chord on 21 March 2014, said: "This will deliver a real boost to the freight industry, driving forward our economy and freeing up capacity to improve passenger services.
"In addition, it will help remove lorries from our roads, delivering safer journeys, a cleaner environment and relieving congestion."