Rail freight UK

Last week, GB Railfreight (GBRf), one of the country’s leading rail freight providers, started a second daily service between the Port of Felixstowe and Widnes.

This new service has been introduced following the significant demand of GBRf’s first service which commenced in October 2023. GBRf will be running five additional trains a week, bringing the number of services between Felixstowe and Widnes up to eleven per week. The additional services will remove around 500 HGV movements from the UK’s road network alleviating congestion and improving road safety – this year alone GB Railfreight has already moved over 100,000 boxes through the Port of Felixstowe.

Julie Garn, Head of Intermodal at GB Railfreight said:

“We’re delighted to be introducing this new service with Stobarts doubling the volume we move between Felixstowe and Widnes. Having already moved 100k boxes in and out of the Port of Felixstowe in 2024, we are pushing hard to double this by the end of the year.”

Sean French, Managing Director at Stobart Ports said

“We are delighted to accept another GB Railfreight service from the Port of Felixstowe into Stobart Ports Widnes. This further enhances our existing rail schedule to over 50 rail services per week, encouraging the modal switch to rail. With our Widnes site being ETSF and AFSO accredited, this also supports final mile and storage solutions to compliment the rail services.”

Robert Ashton, Chief Operating Officer at Port of Felixstowe said:

“We welcome this new service by GB Railfreight to Widnes. We have invested heavily to make Felixstowe the busiest intermodal rail freight facility in the UK and support the increased use of rail as an effective way of cutting supply chain emissions.”