UK East Midlands Gateway rail freight terminal doubles in capacity
The additional tracks are a step closer to receiving their first intermodal trains. The second stage handover of new facilities at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway rail freight terminal will increase handling capacity and herald the way for more traffic at the inland Freeport. In a significant development for the project, contractors Winvic have officially passed operational responsibility for the second stage of the construction project, including two new 775 metres intermodal loops, over to logistics developers Segro.
The handover signals a major milestone for the rail freight terminal, which forms the sustainable transport centrepiece of the extensive Segro Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLPEMG). Discretely curtained by landscaped grounds and adjacent to East Midlands Airport, the rail terminal already handles four daily intermodal trains to three ports and is set to ramp up traffic. The designation by the UK government as Britain’s only inland Freeport has added to the strategic importance of the site.
Containers five and six high
Recognised as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), the first phase of civil engineering and infrastructure works were completed in December 2019. That laid the foundation for the subsequent expansion and growth of the logistics park. The initial phase created an expanse of six million square feet (570,000 square metres) of development plots, dedicated to storage and distribution warehouses alongside extensive earthworks comprising six million cubic meters of plateau, screening, and topsoiling, some of which renders the busy rail freight terminal all but invisible.
Situated conveniently just off the main entrance to the development, the 50-acre (20-hectare) Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) is the intermodal heart of the project. Rail infrastructure aside, it’s the container handling that makes the EMG terminal so popular. The reinforced concrete slab, covering over 400,000 square feet (more than 37,000 square metres), has capacity for 20,000 TEU, five and six high, ready for the reach stackers to deliver to the waiting trains.
Second pair of loops
The existing three loop tracks, nearly 800-metres long, have been augmented by two more, making a four track terminal with an operational runaround line. They’re all connected by a bespoke private rail spur which in turn joins the freight only Castle Donington loop, and hence to the Midland Main Line just south of Derby. The second phase of civil engineering and infrastructure works, undertaken from September 2022 to June 2023, added the second pair of loops to further expand the capabilities of the terminal. If passing traffic on the M1 motorway doesn’t spot the rail operations, that might be down to the 45,000 cubic meters of cut and fill, carried out to prepare the site for this development phase.
Down in this discrete asset, a 28,000 square feet extension to the reinforced concrete terminal slab provides additional storage space, accommodating around one thousand more containers. Recognising the importance of road transportation, particularly for local and ‘last mile’ delivery, the project also includes an eight thousand square feet (800 square metre) lorry parking facility. The extensive landscaping efforts include topsoiling cultivation, wildflower seeding, and the planting of thickets and hedges, enhancing the aesthetics of the surrounding area.
Truly intermodal nature
In parallel with the rail terminal, the East Midlands Gateway logistics park has become a significant employer in the area. Winvic, the contractors responsible for building the project, have so far constructed ten out of twelve available industrial units in the park, including a vast 1.3 million square feet (121,000 square metre) fulfilment centre for Amazon, and a distribution unit for Maersk at half that size. Although operating independently from the rail freight terminal, units do receive loaded containers transferred directly from arriving trains.
The truly intermodal nature of the park, backed up by inland Freeport status, means the rail freight terminal at Segro Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is likely to see much more traffic in future, and that those brand new tracks, and that brand new pad is unlikely to ever be empty again.
