London Gateway owners invest in rail infrastructure

The owners of London Gateway have announced a multi-million pound investment in new rail infrastructure at the port terminal. The most visible example will be the commissioning of two rail mounted gantry cranes to better serve container shops and intermodal rail traffic. DP World say the programme of investment is to answer growing customer demand over the next year and a half.

The 12 million pound (13.2 million euro) investment in rail mounted gantry (RMG) cranes is the tip of a billion-pound programme at London Gateway. DP World say it is to meet fast growing demand for rail connections from customers, particularly at their smart logistics hub. That development is set to increase its capacity by a third when a new fourth berth opens next year.

Investment in rail capability

The high capacity cranes, which are used for the quick, safe and automated handling of containers and will be operational in time for the new berth opening in 2024. Together, the berth and cranes will lift rail capacity at London Gateway by fifty per cent. Back in November, DP World launched an intermodal rail service between London Gateway and Southampton, their south coast port facility.

“We are delighted to be making a further investment in our rail capability and rail capacity with two new RMG cranes which will arrive in the same year that we open a new fourth berth”, said Andrew Bowen, Port Operations Director at London Gateway. “After the disruption of recent years, shipping lines and cargo owners are looking for capacity, reliability and growth opportunities and DP World will deliver on all three fronts.”

Record volume of cargo

DP World say they are on a journey to becoming an end-to-end logistics provider. “In November we launched a new intermodal train service connecting our container terminals at London Gateway and Southampton”, said Bowen. “[This] will enable customers to switch volumes quickly and easily between the two UK locations. The round service carries cargo including fresh fruit, beverages and consumer goods in less than five hours, taking up to 120 lorries a week off the roads.”

Between London Gateway and Southampton – both deep water ports with access to freight rail terminals – a record volume of cargo was moved in the first half of last year, with a combined total of 1.93m TEU. DP World has now started construction at London Gateway’s new £350 million (416.5m euro) fourth berth, which will lift capacity by a third when it opens in 2024. The construction project is supporting 1,000 jobs and the port-centric logistics park will employ a further 12,000 people when it is completed in four years’ time. DP World has also earmarked a further one billion pounds (1.2bn euro) of investment in the UK over the next 10 years.