Rail freight focus will reduce emissions

The new rail service to the East Midlands Gateway (EMG) from the UK’s Port of Felixstowe is operated by Maritime Transport and DB Cargo UK and will further enhance the port’s rail connections as a gateway to overseas markets.

“The ability to move goods to or from ports by rail is an important differentiator for traders… regular services are important in growing the share of traffic choosing more sustainable intermodal options,” said Chris Lewis, chief executive officer of the Port of Felixstowe.

“This third daily service to East Midlands Gateway boosts choice, reliability and frequency for shippers in the Midlands and helps reduce further the carbon emissions of businesses in the region that use the Port of Felixstowe as the gateway to overseas markets.”

Increased efficiency

The new rail service is a winning situation too for the freight firms which operate out of the port.

“Increasing our capacity and logistics efficiency for our customers whilst reducing the need for our HGVs to travel millions of miles each year has always been a vital part of our strategy,” said John Bailey, managing director – Intermodal and Terminals at Maritime Transport.

He pointed out that this latest intermodal service has been introduced following high demand at Felixstowe and EMG and really underpins both Maritime’s and DB Cargo UK’s drive to offer more reliability and greater choice to the market.

Maritime Transport’s 17-acre intermodal rail freight terminal provides access to the UK’s major ports, operates 24/7 and is able to accommodate up to sixteen 775m freight trains per day.

Maritime Transport and DB Cargo UK have said that they will maintain their close alliance as the industry focuses on modal shift, while delivering sustainable solutions and innovation going forward.

The Port of Felixstowe has three dedicated rail terminals and offers rail services to the inland destinations of Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Teesport, Birmingham, Birch Coppice, Doncaster, East Midlands Gateway, Hams Hall, Wakefield, Ditton (Widnes), Rotherham, iPort Rossington and Cardiff.