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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 1.4km 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.

Improving the railway from Felixstowe to Nuneaton involves:

• Gauge enhancements between Peterborough and Nuneaton to ensure the entire route can carry the larger, more economical freight containers increasingly preferred by global shipping firms. It also enables freight operators to use standard wagons which are more efficient and economical.
• Capacity enhancements between Ipswich and Peterborough: (i) a new 1km stretch of track, or chord, north of Ipswich goods yard, linking the East Suffolk and Great Eastern lines (ii) two 775m sections of track east of Ely station to enable better regulation of trains through the junctions at Ely iii) signalling works at Kennett / Bury St Edmunds
• The Nuneaton North Chord: a flyover north of Nuneaton station that will allow freight trains from Peterborough to join the West Coast Main Line without the need to cross it at grade.

The Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight upgrade scheme will bring the following benefits:

Vehicles off the road
The scheme will provide for eight additional freight trains per day in each direction to and from Felixstowe, which is estimated to enable the transfer of up to 225,000 container freight journeys a year from the Britain’s roads to the railway. This will help reduce carbon emissions and ease traffic congestion on the road network.

Environmental
Rail is one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of transport. Rail freight produces 76% less carbon dioxide than road freight per tonne carried, so the greater transfer of freight from road to rail as a result of this scheme will significantly reduce carbon emissions and help the UK reduce its carbon footprint.

Efficiency
High cube containers are larger than standard containers, and therefore more items can be transported within them, making them a more efficient means of distributing goods. Rail can therefore be a cheaper, quicker and a more practical way for businesses to transport their goods around the country and beyond. At present high cube containers are too big to be carried on standard height platform wagons on much of the rail network. Therefore the only way to carry them by rail is on special low wagons. However, this reduces efficiency and capacity by up to 33%.

Economic growth
The upgraded rail freight link will improve the competitiveness and encourage economic growth across Britain. This project will also make it easier to import and export goods, helping Britain compete more effectively in the global market.

The value of freight:

• The British economy relies on rail freight to the tune of £870m a year
• Rail transports over 100m tonnes of goods worth around £30bn every year
• The freight sector supports employment 14 times the number employed directly in the industry (66.6k compared to 4.7k )
• In total the UK freight sector contributes £299m in profits and wages to the UK economy
• Rail freight generates £185k worth of output per employee almost double the national average (£89k)
• The societal benefits from a shift from road to rail equate to £376m (2007/8) and up to £903m if it grows by 140% (2031). This would be a lot higher if the loss of Treasury revenue from road tax (due to taking lorries off the roads) was not taken into account
• Rail freight demand is predicted to grow by 30% over the next decade and up to 140% over 30 years
• Without the railway, the anticipated growth in freight traffic over the next 30 years would mean an extra 1.5 million lorry journeys on Britain’s roads each year
• The Eddington Study estimated that the time lost as a result of road congestion costs the British economy £7-8bn every year and is likely to be at least £24bn by 2025
• Freight also helps minimise road congestion – every freight train takes around 60 lorries off the road. Rail is one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of transport. Rail freight produces 76% less carbon dioxide than road freight per tonne carried.