New international rail links Felixstowe to Birmingham

THE UK Port of Felixstowe has announced the start of an additional rail service to Birmingham , bringing the total number of daily departures from the port to 27, and thus helping to ease road traffic congestion.

The new rail service is operated by First GBRf, and has been contracted to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

The new 22-car train provides a third daily scheduled connection to Hams Hall, near Birmingham and is MSC's second contract service to Hams Hall.

The service operates from Monday to Saturday each week, and brings the number of First GBRf services from Felixstowe to five trains per day, reports American Shipper.

MSC's UK managing director Dan Everett said most freight on the new service will be "changing mode from road to rail. As a result the new train will help reduce traffic levels on one of the major trunk routes in the country, the A14, by saving the equivalent of 22,000 truck journeys a year."