Freight connections to and from one of the world’s oldest ports have been enhanced with the opening of a new facility. Liverpool2 is now open for business, connecting a state-of-the-art deep water facility by rail directly to mainland Britain and onto the European network.

Owners Peel Ports, who are one of the UK’s biggest port operators, say the 400 million pounds investment will enable them to access a catchment area of over 35 million people, which is nearly two-thirds of the UK’s population. With its own new integrated rail terminal, Liverpool2 complements the neighbouring Royal Seaforth Container Terminal at the Port of Liverpool, with each having the capacity to handle around one million containers a year.

Integrated rail terminal

Built on land created from 5.5 million tonnes of sand and silt dredged from the River Mersey, the site is larger than four football stadiums put together. Liverpool is already the country’s biggest transatlantic port, with a 45 per cent market share, and the only major container port in the north or west of the UK. Freight services from Liverpool include two daily biomass (organic or renewable fuel types) trains from the port to Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, the largest and most efficient coal-fired power plant in the UK.

Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive Officer of Peel Ports said: “Our investment will help global shippers to transport cargo more efficiently to their end destination with lower costs, congestion and carbon emissions. Liverpool is in the right location, providing state-of-the art facilities and technology, and offers a real competitive advantage with a shorter supply chain.”

Port-centric logistics

Gary Hodgson, Chief Operating Officer of Peel Ports, added: “Being able to compete on the scale offered by Liverpool2 is only one aspect of how we’re transforming the port. Our real driving force is a commitment to customers, whether shipping lines or cargo owners, and helping them to achieve their business vision. As well as investing in the infrastructure and technology, we’re providing a more integrated service to our customers, whether that’s at the quayside, through port-centric logistics facilities or our wider network of ports.”

More information about freight rail services and the new terminal are at the Port of Liverpool website.