Hutchison Ports, operator of the Port of Felixstowe, has launched a new daily rail service connecting the container port with Yorkshire, England.
Announced on 10 March, the service to Wakefield is the 13th operated by GB Railfreight and the 12th daily rail connection to Yorkshire. Felixstowe has three dedicated rail terminals at its facility.
The train will initially comprise of a mix of wagon types: including two EcoTriples, two Q8s, and 11 IKATwins. The variety of wagons allows for greater sustainability and maximises the number of boxes to be carried on the service.
Chris Lewis, CEO, at the Port of Felixstowe, commented, “Expanding the number of rail services available to importers and exporters from the port is one of our key objectives.
“The Port of Felixstowe is the Northern Powerhouse’s major container gateway and approximately 50% of traffic between Felixstowe and the North moves by rail. Increasing the number of services is good for the port, good for our customers and good for the environment.”
John Smith, Managing Director, GB Railfreight, said, “I am thrilled to see the beginning of this new service. We are extremely proud to be able to continue our work with the Port of Felixstowe to deliver first-class service, which demonstrates sustained growth for our companies and shows an inherent trust in our long-standing partnership.
“Our growth in intermodal shows GB Railfreights’s dedication to innovation, offering flexible door-to-door solutions that meet our customer’s needs, as well as a consistently reliable service.”
Other destinations served by rail from the Port of Felixstowe are: Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Teesport, Birmingham, Birch Coppice, Doncaster, East Midlands Gateway, Hams Hall, Wakefield, Ditton (Widnes), Rotherham, iPort Rossington and Cardiff.
