Port of Felixstowe upgrading South Rail Terminal

Port of Felixstowe upgrading South Rail Terminal    The Port of Felixstowe has begun work to increase the South Rail Terminal's annual capacity by 10 percent, or 16,500 TEUs.
   The expansion project will extend the rail terminal by 39 meters, enabling Felixstowe — the largest container port in the United Kingdom — to accommodate 22 wagon trains, two more than now. Work is due for completion in May, before the delivery of a new rail-mounted gantry crane from Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. (ZPMC) in China. A second rail-mounted gantry crane and two reachstacker vehicles operating over the full length of the extended terminal will follow.
   'We are experiencing ever-increasing rail volumes, and must continue to develop and improve our facilities in order to meet customer expectations,' said Chris Lewis, chief executive officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd., which runs the port. “We are committed to increasing the share of freight transported by rail through the port, and the current undertakings will improve speed, reliability and service integrity for rail customers.'
   There are a total of 52 arrivals or departures per day from the Port of Felixstowe's North and South Rail terminals, connecting the port to Coatbridge (Glasgow), Trafford Park (Manchester), Liverpool, Leeds, Cleveland, Birmingham, Cardiff, Tilbury, Selby, Wakefield, Hams Hall, Ditton, Daventry and Doncaster.