Britain’s biggest container port will host a royal visitor today as the Duke of York opens its new £40million rail terminal.
The investment by Hutchison Ports at the Port of Felixstowe will double the terminal’s rail capacity, a key factor in its drive for new business in the years ahead.
Acrobats, dancers and pyrotechnics will entertain the duke as he take parts in a ceremony alongside Clemence Cheng, chief executive officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, and Dr John Meredith, group managing director of Hutchison Port Holdings, to declare the new nine-track northern rail terminal open.
The duke has spoken of the importance in offering a wide range of educational pathways to young people to give them the best opportunity to develop the relevant skills for work, and he will be meeting a number of the port’s apprentices during his visit.
Construction of the rail terminal follows completion 18 months ago of two new deepwater berths at the port.
The company is confident the investments will secure Felixstowe’s position as the UK’s major hub port long into the future.
The rail terminal will take up to 750,000 lorries a year off the A14 by 2030 when the terminal is working to capacity.
It will be the port’s third rail terminal and first in the UK designed to handle the new 30-wagon freight trains, capable of carrying 90 standard-sized containers.
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