A MAJOR upgrade of the Port of Felixstowe's South Rail Terminal is due to start this month. The work, aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the port's rail operations, involves the replacement of the entire 465 metres of track at Line 1.

A MAJOR upgrade of the Port of Felixstowe's South Rail Terminal is due to start this month.

The work, aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of the port's rail operations, involves the replacement of the entire 465 metres of track at Line 1.

It is due to start on December 27, and is expected to be completed by January 5, 2009.

Further critical track upgrades are also being undertaken in co-operation with Network Rail at the South Rail Terminal on the curve of the track by the Felixstowe Seafarers' Centre, alongside Carr Road.

Chris Lewis, chief executive office at port owners Hutchison Ports (UK) Ltd, said they were committed to optimising environmentally-friendly rail transport opportunities for their customers.

“We have experienced very high volumes of rail traffic in recent months - breaking through the 9,000 rail moves per week threshold for the first time ever in September this year - and this highlights the need to improve freight capacity on the rail network so that more traffic can be distributed by sustainable modes.”

Earlier this year, the South Rail Terminal was extended by 39 metres on all three lines, allowing it to accommodate trains of up to 22 wagons in length.