MAJOR work is to take place next week to improve one of the rail lines at Britain's biggest port.

Richard Cornwell

MAJOR work is to take place next week to improve one of the rail lines at Britain's biggest port.

Bosses say the project will improve the efficiency and reliability of rail operations at Felixstowe's south rail terminal.

The work is to start on December 27 and take until January 5 and will involve 465 metres of track being replaced.

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

Chris Lewis, chief executive officer of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, which owns the Port of Felixstowe, said: “We are committed to optimising environmentally-friendly rail transport opportunities for our 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.”

The south rail terminal was extended by 39 metres on all three lines earlier in the year so that it is now able to accommodate trains up to 22 wagons in length.

The port has also made a significant investment in providing the latest state-of-the-art equipment for the terminal. A brand new rail-mounted gantry crane became fully operational in October.

The port currently offers 52 services per day to and from Coatbridge (Glasgow), Trafford Park (Manchester), Liverpool, Leeds, Cleveland, Birmingham, Tilbury, Selby, Wakefield, Hams Hall, Ditton, and Doncaster.