🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
Logistics UK “strongly welcomes” Ely rail upgrade to remove thousands of lorries from UK roads
Improving a rail junction in Ely would remove about 100,000 lorry journeys from UK roads per year, according to a new report, Keeping Trade on Track.
Conducted by the two main bodies which study transport matters in the East of England – England's Economic Heartland and Transport East – the new report is another rock-solid attempt to persuade government to upgrade the well-known bottleneck and, according to its findings, could prove to be of “national significance”.
The report describes the line from the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk to the Midlands and North of England as "the most intensively used and nationally important rail freight corridor on the network" and how improvements to the Ely junction would significantly reduce pressure on it.
"This is a corridor that's vital for global Britain's trade with the world, which is served by a Victorian railway no longer fit for purpose," the report says, adding that improvements would allow six additional freight trains per day to use the line, equivalent to 450 lorries stretching more than six miles.
“Logistics UK supports the government’s plans for a growth target for rail freight, but to achieve this, we need to ensure that bottlenecks are removed from the network,” said Jonathan Walker, Head of Cities and Infrastructure Policy at Logistics UK.
“We therefore strongly welcome the proposals to upgrade the railway in the Ely area. This is an important route for rail freight from the Port of Felixstowe to the Midlands and beyond, and members report that this is one of the most significant bottlenecks in the system. The proposed enhancements will free up capacity to enable more freight services.”
Network Rail estimates the work would cost £466m.
See the Keeping Trade on Track report here.
*www.logistics.org.uk/campaigns
Published On: 22/06/2023 12:00:00
Comments Section
If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.
