A new intermodal service in partnership with Forth Ports and P&O Ferries, connecting Tilbury2 with the newly-refurbished Trafford Park Euroterminal in Manchester, has been launched by Maritime Transport Ltd.

The service, which started on Monday, 4 July, provides carbon-reducing routes to and from the Northwest for the European short-sea and UK domestic markets.

The Tilbury to Manchester service runs five days per week from Monday to Friday and is  capable of moving 45' pallet-wide, 40', and 20' deep-sea containers, with a total transport capacity of 80 TEU in each direction.

John Bailey, Managing Director of Intermodal and Terminals, Maritime Transport said, “We are very proud to be working with Forth Ports & P&O Ferries and to see the beginning of our Tilbury – Trafford Park service, demonstrating our drive to engineer even more rail freight solutions for the market, and our hands-on approach to reducing not just our own carbon footprint, but that of our customers. Rail is the key to decarbonisation and we will continue to support modal shift by increasing the proportion of freight transported by rail.”

Maritime recently completed a two-year redevelopment scheme at Trafford Park Euroterminal, transforming it into a state-of-the-art, strategic rail/road interchange. The £13.5m regeneration project involved substantive remediation of the 20-acre terminal, including repaving the container park, upgrading buildings, security, and new container handling equipment. To support increased train throughput, the container park can now store up to 4,000 TEU.

The completed project was unveiled by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 26 May.

Photo: The Tilbury to Manchester service runs five days per week.