Maritime Transport welcomes fifth rail freight service to East Midlands terminal
Posted 14 Dec 2020
Maritime Transport is pleased to welcome a fifth daily
intermodal rail service to its terminal at East Midlands Gateway (EMG).
The new service, launched by Mediterranean
Shipping Company (UK) Ltd. (MSC UK) and operated by GB Railfreight, runs five
days a week, and provides the UK’s first-ever intermodal route between the Port
of Liverpool and the East Midlands region.
Commenting on the new service, John Williams, Group
Executive Chairman at Maritime, stated: ‘We are delighted to welcome the MSC UK
Liverpool service into our terminal at EMG, strengthening our partnership with
MSC UK and further underpinning the commitment that Maritime has made to the
intermodal market. In under 12 months, the terminal now receives five daily
services connecting the UK’s four leading ports.’
‘We are very pleased to announce that, together with our
partners, we have launched the first daily intermodal rail connection between
the Port of Liverpool and the East Midlands,’ said Jonathan Burke, Operations
Director at MSC UK. ‘This new service enhances our nationwide port and
intermodal network, further strengthening the breadth of our offering to
clients whilst helping to reduce carbon emissions.’
EMG has seen unprecedented demand since its official opening
in March this year. Daily services currently running in and out of the terminal
include one to DP World London Gateway operated by DB Cargo UK, two to the Port
of Felixstowe also hauled by DB Cargo UK and Freightliner, and one to the Port
of Southampton hauled by GB Railfreight. The 17-acre interchange is capable of
handling up to sixteen 775metre-long freight trains daily with storage capacity
for 4,000TEU as well as open access. The site will eventually host a new 20,000
sq. ft. headquarters for Maritime’s rail subdivision, Maritime Intermodal, to
house operations staff, state-of-the-art training facilities, and parking for a
fleet of up to 100 HGV’s.
John Smith, Managing Director at GB Railfreight, stated, ‘GB
Railfreight prides itself on innovation and commitment to partnership. We are
delighted to be working with our customer MSC, Peel Ports and Maritime
Transport in delivering a new intermodal service into the Port of Liverpool –
one which will see 20,000 lorry journeys off our roads.’
