Friday 9 Jul 2010
NEW NUNEATON FREIGHT LINE GETS GO-AHEAD
- Region & Route:
Rail freight improvements get the green light from government
Work to upgrade the rail freight network has taken a significant step forward as the Department for Transport announced permission for a new rail link to be built to the north of Nuneaton station.
Network Rail has received notification that the Secretary of State has granted permission for the Nuneaton North Chord scheme to proceed, following a public inquiry held earlier this year.
The new 1km section of track will link the existing cross-country rail route from Felixstowe to Nuneaton with the west coast main line. This will allow freight trains to travel directly to the economic markets in West Midlands and North West England without having to travel through north London, which they currently do.
On completion of the scheme freight trains will be able to travel through Nuneaton station without affecting passenger services, thereby helping to reduce disruption and making the railway more reliable.
The Nuneaton North Chord forms an important part of Network Rail’s strategic freight network, a programme of investment to improve freight capacity across the UK railway. The scheme will provide for eight additional freight trains per day in each direction to and from Felixstowe, which will help take around 225,000 lorries off Britain’s roads.
Tim Cook, senior schemes sponsor at Network Rail said: “Britain relies on rail freight and this scheme is crucial because Nuneaton North Chord is a key part of our plans to improve freight capacity of the railway – one of the greenest methods of transporting goods.
“Rail currently transports over 100m tonnes of goods across the country. This is worth around £30bn per year and directly contributes £870m to the nation’s economy every year. As Britain’s imports increase we need to look at ways in which we can transport more goods around the country without putting additional pressure on roads. This scheme is an important part of helping us achieve this, whilst delivering a more efficient and reliable network for our passengers.”
Work on the Nuneaton North Chord is expected to start in spring 2011 and is anticipated to take around 18 months to complete.
Notes to editors
The Nuneaton North Chord will extend from the north west fringe of Nuneaton, approximately 600m to the north west of the existing railway station. It will leave the Birmingham to Leicester line near Two Bridges and run parallel to the WCML for approximately 1.5km before rejoining the WCML near Canal Farm. The new chord will allow freight trains to join the WCML via a dedicated track rather than crossing the four existing lines at track level.
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