New Telford rail terminal open for business
Issue: Summer 2009
With UK manufacturers, importers and retailers showing more and more interest in rail freight, the opening of the Telford International Railfreight Park (TIRP), 60km to the west of Birmingham, is excellent news for the West Midlands. Managed by the specialist rail freight company John G Russell, it provides direct access not only to the UK rail network but also to the whole of Europe via the Channel Tunnel.
The formal opening of the terminal took place on 10th June and was performed by the UK Member of Parliament, Theresa Villiers, who is Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. However TIRP has been handling a number of one-off train movements, primarily for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), since March.
The development of Telford International Railfreight Park was initiated through a partnership between Telford & Wrekin Council, the MoD and the Homes & Communities Agency (formerly English Partnerships) in 2001. The project culminated in the reinstatement of approximately 3km of railway line from Wellington to Donnington and the construction of freight handling and storage facilities at Donnington. The project has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Advantage West Midlands.
Ken Russell, Commercial & Business Development Director, John G Russell (Transport) Ltd, outlined his company’s plans for the new terminal: “Over the years, Telford has established itself as a manufacturing and distribution centre for Japanese multinationals such as Makita, Maxell, Ricoh and other major Asian electronics companies such as Tatung.
“Many of these companies are receiving imports such as components and finished goods from Asia and elsewhere by sea via the major UK ports, notably Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury. Therefore we expect the first regular trains will be to and from these ports loaded with deep-sea containers.
“Initially, we will not have sufficient volumes to justify direct trains but we are confident that we will be able to link TIRP with Crewe, already an established hub for block container trains. As volumes build up, as we know they will, we will seek to operate direct services to these three major ports.”
John G Russell is also actively pursuing links between Telford and Continental Europe and is looking at various options such as connecting with other services via a London hub. TIRP has been constructed on land previously owned by the MoD and is adjacent to extensive MoD facilities, notably DSDA Donnington. Consequently, military traffic is also high on the agenda, confirmed Ken Russell.
For further information, visit: www.johngrussell.co.uk
Published: 06/07/2009
