GB Railfreight has launched a new service between the Port of Felixstowe and the Doncaster Railport facility in south Yorkshire.

GB Railfreight has launched a new service between the Port of Felixstowe and the Doncaster Railport facility in south Yorkshire.

The port said that the new link, operating out of its south rail terminal, had been introduced in response to the growing demand for further rail services from Felixstowe.

The service arrives in Felixstowe at 6.29am and departs for Doncaster at 11.04am. It incorporates 20 wagons and could, at full capacity, remove up to 20,000 container movements from the nation's roads.

Chris Lewis, chief executive of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, which includes the Port of Felixstowe, said: “We have a commitment at the Port of Felixstowe to remove as many lorries from the roads as possible and transfer the capacity to rail. We are delighted that GB Railfreight has the same commitment, and that together we are able to work towards the same goal.

“We are working with the relevant bodies within the Government and the rail industry to ensure that the infrastructure needed to fulfil this commitment is brought on stream as soon as possible.”

The Port of Felixstowe handled record numbers of containers in its rail division last year, with the total throughput for 2005 being 6% up on 2004. There are a total of 25 inbound and 24 outbound trains per day from the port's north and south rail terminals.