Official launch for new rail freight terminal connecting East Midlands with UK ports

A new rail freight terminal on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border which will connect the region to major UK ports has been officially opened.Get more news about Juk Rail Terminal,you can vist our website!

Operated by Maritime Intermodal, a sub-division of Maritime Transport, the new terminal has been built at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, near Castle Donington, which is a huge warehouse development with planning consent for up to six million sq ft of warehousing and logistics accommodation.The terminal started operating its first route to Felixstowe, in Suffolk, which is the UK’s busiest container port, earlier this year.

But to officially mark its launch, a ceremony was recently held, with Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris performing the honours.

It was attended by representatives from Maritime and more than 350 guests from across the East Midlands region and the wider transport and logistics industry.Mr Heaton-Harris said: “The rail freight sector is vital to the UK, not only supporting economic growth and international transport links, but driving down emissions by removing around seven million lorry journeys a year from Britain’s roads.

“This new gateway provides direct access to the UK’s major ports, demonstrating that Britain is open for business and our commitment to boosting jobs and trade while cleaning up our air.”The development, which is anticipated to create more than 7,000 jobs, is already home to major companies such as Amazon and Kuehne and Nagel, with Nestle/XPO Logistics, Shop Direct and Games Workshop set to start operating from the site in the near future.

It is expected that these firms will take advantage of the new rail freight terminal, which at full capacity will be capable of handling up to sixteen 775 metre-long freight trains daily.

As well as operating rail services, the terminal will provide storage capacity for more than 50,000 pallets of cargo.The rail terminal site will also host a new 20,000 sq ft headquarters for Maritime Intermodal to house operations staff, training facilities and parking for a fleet of up to 100 trucks.

Maritime’s group chief executive John Williams said: “Opening our new rail terminal at East Midlands Gateway is an extremely proud occasion for Maritime.

“This great facility, thanks to our vision and the vision of SEGRO, far exceeds the minimum, and we have jointly created a spectacular fit-for-purpose terminal that will further enable us to offer a full end-to-end UK logistics solution to our customers.