Southampton Port to receive £17.5m rail investment

Published by

Sam Pither

CLIVE THOMAS, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AT SOLENT STEVEDORES; SEAN SCULLY, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND COMPLIANCE DIRECTOR AT RYEBRIDGE CONSTRUCTION; STUART CULLEN, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF SOLENT STEVEDORES; ZAK MCELVENNY, HEALTH SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE DIRECTOR AT SOLENT STEVEDORES; ANDREW HALLAM, ENGINEERING PROGRAMME MANAGER AT ABP, AND RICHARD POWELL, RAIL OPERATIONS MANAGER AT SOLENT STEVEDORES.

The Port of Southampton is to receive a £17.5 million joint investment from Associated British Ports (ABP) and Solent Stevedores.

The investment will fund a new container offering for deep sea shipping lines at the port, creating an 18-acre facility which will connect the existing intermodal rail transport site with the laden and empty container processing facility within a single site boundary.

The project, which is expected to be finished in late 2023, will be a first for the Port of Southampton.

By strengthening the rail offering at the Port of Southampton, ABP say it will give customers greater choice over container placement and storage.

Alastair Welch, Regional Director at the Port of Southampton, said: “This investment not only enhances our containers customer offer, it is also part of the Port of Southampton’s multimodal strategy into the future and our commitment to help improve air quality in the local area.”

Among the several site upgrades, the project will introduce 84 reefer plug points, adding 150 metres to the rail loading pad, and a new track design enabling trains to arrive and depart at the terminal independently on any of the three lines.

To allow the rail terminal to remain in operation, the work will take place in three stages, eventually increasing capacity for cargo to enter and leave the port.

Stuart Cullen, Executive Chairman of Solent Stevedores, said: “This is a significant project for us and the latest phase of investment for the Solent Rail Terminal.

“We continue to upgrade and enhance our rail operations and infrastructure in partnership with the port to support the growth of cargo movement by rail and air quality initiatives.”

Featured image: Clive Thomas, Commercial Director at Solent Stevedores; Sean Scully, Business Development and Compliance Director at Ryebridge Construction; Stuart Cullen, Executive Chairman of Solent Stevedores; Zak Mcelvenny, Health, Safety and Compliance Director at Solent Stevedores; Andrew Hallam, Engineering Programme Manager at ABP, and Richard Powell, Rail Operations Manager at Solent Stevedores.

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.