Better rail freight connectivity between Birmingham and Port of Felixstowe
Maritime Transport, a UK-based logistics company, has launched a new intermodal service, which is hauled by GB Railfreight (GBRf). It links the Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT) with the Port of Felixstowe.
On Monday, 10 January, Maritime Transport sent the third train to run from the Port of Felixstowe to BIFT. The new service, which has increased Maritime’s Felixstowe to West Midlands capacity by 40 per cent, is operated five days per week from Tuesdays to Saturdays, with a total transport capacity of 87 TEU in each direction.
“We are thrilled to launch this new service with GBRf. Our investment in new routes, new equipment, and our terminals enables us to provide the most advanced logistics solutions, and reflects our drive to deliver increased resource at a time when the industry is facing huge challenges”, said John Bailey, managing director for intermodal and terminals at Maritime Transport. With a shortage of more than 100,000 lorry drivers in the UK, Maritime’s latest service provides additional capacity to ensure goods can continue to move across Britain.
Handling machinery
The Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT) is the most important investment of Maritime Transport. Besides arranging new trains to/from the terminal, the company pays special attention to handling machines. Currently, the facility is equipped with two Konecranes Noell N SC 644 E straddle carriers, two Kalmar ESC450 straddle carriers and two Sany SDCY100K6GC empty container handlers. For the future growth of the BIFT, Maritime Transport is planning to add nine reach stackers including six from Sany and three from Kalmar.