Maritime Intermodal begins new rail freight service for East Midlands Gateway

Maritime Intermodal, a subdivision of Maritime Transport, has launched a new five-day-a-week rail freight service to SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway providing a greener and more flexible way for businesses in the East Midlands to move their goods around the country.

The first route will connect the new strategic rail freight terminal at East Midlands Gateway to the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s busiest container port, and will provide the capacity to move up to 70 containers, meeting increasing customer demand in the region. The new service is Maritime Intermodal’s seventh daily rail freight service, with further services expected to be announced in the coming months. 

Commenting on the new route, John Bailey, Managing Director of Intermodal and Terminals at Maritime, stated: “We’re delighted to be extending our rail offering with this new service, our first of many at EMG which is set to open a new intermodal market for the industry, increasing productivity and removing truck miles from the Midlands’ major routes. The growth we’ve seen in the rail sector already is a testament to our commitment to meeting our customers’ needs, and we look forward to introducing further services in the near future.”

Andrew Pilsworth, Business Unit Director, National Logistics, SEGRO, said: “The start of rail freight services to and from East Midlands Gateway is a major step forward for the long-term future of the development and is great news for those who live in, travel through or do business in the region. Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges are recognised by the Government as being nationally important pieces of infrastructure, both economically and environmentally, and the demand for the efficient movement of goods – driven by customer demand and technology – shows no sign of slowing down.”

Maritime Transport’s 17-acre EMG terminal is capable of handling up to sixteen 775metre-long freight trains daily. The terminal will provide storage capacity for over 5,000TEU - which is equal to approximately 50,000 pallets of cargo - and is the first to connect to the Castle Donington freight line, providing direct access to the UK’s network of rail freight interchanges and all major UK Ports. In order to accommodate the terminal, earthworks took place to dig 25m below existing ground level. The site will also host a new 20,000 sq ft HQ for Maritime Intermodal to house operations staff, state-of-the-art training facilities and parking for a fleet of up to 100 trucks.

SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is a 700-acre development with planning consent for up to 6,000,000 sq ft of warehousing and logistics accommodation. The development, which is anticipated to create over 7,000 jobs, is already or will be a base for companies including Amazon, Nestle/XPO Logistics, Shop Direct, Kuehne+Nagel and Games Workshop. As part of the development, tens of millions of pounds have been invested in local infrastructure, including junction improvements on the M1 and A50 and a new bridge over the M1 to connect the Kegworth bypass.