New rail Line for Felixstowe

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The Port of Felixstowe’s will see the official opening of the Ipswich Chord on 31 March 2014. The new chord will reduce rail freight journey times to and from the container port by one hour in each direction providing a substantial performance and efficiency improvement for both rail and sea freight operators.

Commenting on the latest improvement to Felixstowe’s rail connections, Clemence Cheng, Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited Chief Executive Officer, said:

“The 60 freight train movements we handle every day connects the port with 17 different inland destinations.

“This latest development complements the opening of a new rail terminal at Felixstowe last year, our third at the port. The new terminal, and the Ipswich Chord, will allow a greater number of 30-wagon trains to operate from the port providing greater choice and lower carbon emissions for our customers.”

Rail volumes at the Port of Felixstowe reached record levels in 2013 when 830,000 teu were handled at the port’s rail terminals.

The chord provides a new 1.2 km double track railway linking the Great Eastern Main Line with the East Suffolk Line. It enables freight trains to link directly with the Felixstowe to Nuneaton route without having to turn around at Ipswich Yard.

The direct link provides a significant increase in capacity by enabling trains to run at higher speeds without the length constraints associated with Ipswich Yard. It also reduces the safety risks associated with unnecessary yard operations and train reconfigurations.

Published: 28 March 2014 – www.bifa.org