Tilbury, the expanding port on the north bank of the River Thames, is advancing plans to double handling capacity, with a new rail terminal embedded at the heart of the project.
The owners of Tilbury, the dock complex on former power station industrial land down stream from London, have successfully tested and opened a new facility for unaccompanied freight. There is handling right now for intermodal containers transported by ferry into the UK without truck drivers, and brand new rail connections are coming. Rail operators are being encouraged to take note now.
Doubling capacity
The new terminal is part of a 250 million British pounds (280 million Euro) investment by the owners, Forth Ports. The entire project, named Tilbury2, is adjacent to an existing facility, and will allow for a doubling of handling capacity. Much of that tonnage is expected to be moved on from a modernised rail connection into the port.
The first phase of the project has opened, with a new berth on the River Thames, and the trial run completed with P&O Ferries, who operate a regular scheduled mixed traffic service between there and Zeebrugge in Belgium.
Gateway to Europe
“Our new freight terminal is the country’s most modern ferry port offering a seamless and lower carbon route to the biggest consumer market in Europe, Greater London”, said Charles Hammond, group chief executive of Forth Ports. “Despite the current challenges we have delivered a resilient terminal with significant headroom to grow as we pursue our vision of being the nation’s strategic freight gateway to-and-from Europe. We believe that this terminal opening is a symbol of hope for economic recovery.”