AV Dawson has announced a £5 million ($6.6 million) investment in a new dry bulk rail terminal at the Port of Middlesbrough, adding capacity to support UK manufacturers, importers and exporters.
The family-run business, owner of the largest independent rail freight facility in the North East, is developing its fifth rail terminal at its 120-acre Middlesbrough logistics hub, expanding a multimodal site that already gives North East freight businesses easier access to national and international clients.
The new facility will expand the company’s rail freight capabilities for the dry bulk market, supporting the movement of freight by road, rail and sea.
The site has direct access to the East Coast Main Line and key road links via the A19 and A1, alongside a direct rail connection to the port’s quayside operations, enabling rail-to-port transhipment for UK and international trade.
Unloading speeds will increase by 40 per cent to 500 tonnes per hour, boosting capacity and operational efficiency. The terminal will feature five rail lines, with additional sidings feeding wagons into a new unloading pit and conveyor system.
Charlie Nettle, Group Managing Director at AV Dawson, said: “For more than 85 years, we’ve invested in Teesside, continually evolving to meet our customers’ changing needs. This latest investment reflects our confidence in the region, our people and the future growth of rail logistics.
“Our fifth rail terminal strengthens our multimodal offering by expanding our presence in the dry bulk market and reinforces our commitment to delivering integrated logistics solutions across rail, land and sea.”
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The project is being delivered alongside two other family-run firms, Seymour Construction of Hartlepool and Atherton Material Handling. Works include a new unloading pit, rail line, bespoke conveyor system and dedicated storage warehouse, plus a new concrete loading pad offering indoor and outdoor storage.
Nettle continued: “Rail has a vital role to play in the future of UK freight, and with the government setting ambitious targets to increase rail freight by 75 per cent by 2050, investments like this are key to enable this.
“With rail producing around 74 per cent less carbon than road freight, we work closely with customers to help them reduce both emissions and costs through greater use of rail, while combining it with our own road haulage fleet to deliver seamless, integrated logistics solutions.”
For more information:
AV Dawson – https://www.avdawsongroup.com/
