The Port of Felixstowe has won the Rail Freight Group’s 2015 Customer Care Award in recognition of its efforts to ensure minimum disruption.

In particular, the award reflects the port’s response to overrunning work to lengthen tracks in Ipswich Yard last year.

The prolonged works caused an extended and unexpected period of disruption, posing many challenges for cargo owners, the port and freight operators.

The award recognised the port’s response to the resulting interruptions to the fixed scheduling of trains by providing flexible and additional resources, which included enabling locomotives to refuel on port. The amount of freight volume moved through the network did not suffer materially, despite the disruption.

Clemence Cheng, chief executive of the Port of Felixstowe, said: “We are delighted to have been honoured with the prestigious Customer Care Award by the Rail Freight Group.

“We are constantly striving to improve the level of service we offer to all our customers and this award is a testament to the hard work of the dedicated employees in our rail team, working closely with our customers and Network Rail.”

Rail volumes currently represent arouond 27% of the port’s domestic throughput and continue to grow. There are 62 services to and from the port each weekday, operated by DB Schenker, Freightliner Ltd and GB Railfreight.

Direct connections are provided to Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Teesport, Birmingham, Doncaster, Tilbury, Selby, Hams Hall, Daventry, Wakefield, Ditton (Widnes), Burton, Scunthorpe, Birch Coppice and Bristol.