Under the terms of the agreement, Maritime Transport will develop, lease and operate Tritax Symmetry's planned £750 million Strategic Rail Freight Interchange ('SRFI') at Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange ('HNRFI').
Maritime Transport will develop a 40-acre SRFI which, when fully operational, will be able to handle 16 trains per day. At full capacity, the SRFI will be responsible for the removal of over 83 million lorry miles from the UK road network. The significant volume of goods shifted from road to rail could save around 70,120 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The new terminal, which will be located alongside 7 million sq ft of world-class warehousing facilities, will strengthen rail freight links between the Midlands and the major ports of Felixstowe, Liverpool, London Gateway, Southampton, Teesport and Mossend serving Scotland. Maritime Transport is headquartered at Felixstowe, the UK's largest container terminal.
The project is subject to the Secretary of State for Transport's approval of a Development Consent Order, the outcome of which is expected in September 2024.
"This development will strengthen our rail-connected network and our strategy of decarbonizing the full load supply chain in the UK, moving cargo closer to the end user by rail. Our strategy of decarbonizing the supply chain will extend to the introduction of BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles) to perform first and final mile transport, creating the most sustainable full load networked, intermodal logistics offering for occupiers at HNRFI and beyond,” said John Williams, Executive Chairman of Maritime Transport.
