Rebalancing freight to ports around country

[matacaster]

Whilst I accept that Dover Calais, felixtowe and Southampton are generally preferred shipping routes, this leads to a capacity issue on rail routes north. With Brexit, surely this is an opportunity to reroute some shipping to other ports such as hull,Immingham,Goole, Liverpool, hunterston etc?
This would mean that the NPR (northern powerhouse) would need to be amended to make a serious effort to include railfreight. Hull to Manchester and liverpool (for Irish EU traffic) should be a given.
Less congestion might also mean less justification for hs2.?

 

[Surreytraveller]

Calais to Liverpool would take a lot longer than Calais to Dover

 

[306024]

How much would that cost the shipping industry? It isn't all about rail.

 

[jfowkes]

The amount of freight at Dover going onto the rail network is presumably zero, so there's no opportunity for rebalancing from there!

 

[J-Rod]

I'd like to see my local port (King's Lynn) reconnected to the network... but doubt it will be anytime soon. It doesn't have the capacity to make it worthwhile and also, the Fen Line being optimised for passenger services means pretty much the regular sand train from Middleton Towers... and that's it!

 

[Dr Hoo]

There is still very little good gauge clearance for containers on many routes in the North.

Very little spare freight capacity across the Pennines either - hence very slow and indirect paths for what already exists, such as biomass from Liverpool to Drax.

 

[DarloRich]

We had this in arecent thread about freight loops on trans pennine. It was pointless then.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Whilst I accept that Dover Calais, felixtowe and Southampton are generally preferred shipping routes, this leads to a capacity issue on rail routes north. With Brexit, surely this is an opportunity to reroute some shipping to other ports such as hull,Immingham,Goole, Liverpool, hunterston etc?
This would mean that the NPR (northern powerhouse) would need to be amended to make a serious effort to include railfreight. Hull to Manchester and liverpool (for Irish EU traffic) should be a given.
Less congestion might also mean less justification for hs2.?

It would seem not. Steps are already being taken to improve direct shipping links between the Continent and Ireland. The world's largest short-sea ro-ro ferry has been built with the intention of sailing to Dublin from Rotterdam or Zeebrugge with a sister ship under construction. Capacity of 580 hgv trailers!

And a new route between Cork and Santander started last April.

 

[furnessvale]

It would seem not. Steps are already being taken to improve direct shipping links between the Continent and Ireland. The world's largest short-sea ro-ro ferry has been built with the intention of sailing to Dublin from Rotterdam or Zeebrugge with a sister ship under construction. Capacity of 580 hgv trailers!

And a new route between Cork and Santander started last April.

Less transit HGVs between Eire and the EU via the UK, contributing zilch to the UK economy can only be a good thing.

 

[WestRiding]

I hear the line around Immingham and Barnetby is been made gauge suitable for container traffic. Does anyone have any details?

 

[swt_passenger]

I hear the line around Immingham and Barnetby is been made gauge suitable for container traffic. Does anyone have any details?

Network Rail explanation below. It’s about carrying high containers on standard wagons between Immingham and Doncaster. What is known as W10/W12 gauge, the gauge being progressively achieved to all container ports and associated routes. Not really a speculation topic at all...

Work is underway to upgrade the rail route between Doncaster and Immingham in an exciting new project which looks to boost businesses while keeping traffic off the regions roads.
Network Rail is partnering with the Humber LEP and North Lincolnshire Council to invest more than £15m to support the growth of rail freight in the region.
The project will allow high cube shipping containers to run between Doncaster and Immingham/Killinghome on standard height wagons. While high cube containers can be accommodated on the Immingham – Doncaster routes, it currently requires special low wagons of which there is a limited supply. Low Floor wagons are also more expensive to run and to maintain.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...rn-lincolnshire-ports-to-boost-local-economy/

 

[Bald Rick]

I think, perhaps, the OP needs to do a bit of research into port capability and capacity in this country, maritime shipping networks, and where the goods landed at U.K. ports actually go to. (hint: London, South East and East of England combined is nearly 50% of the U.K. economy)