The programme also highlights the growing importance of rail in enabling the transition. By handling long-distance trunk haul movements, rail reduces the operational demands placed on electric trucks. This allows eHGVs to focus on shorter, more predictable journeys where range and charging constraints are less acute. Maritime’s approach reflects a broader industry trend, where intermodal logistics is emerging as a practical pathway towards lower emissions.

Rail increases fivefold

With the recent opening of the Strategic Rail Freight Interchange at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, Maritime has strengthened the backbone of its intermodal network. The Northampton Gateway facility provides direct access to the West Coast Main Line, enabling efficient north–south rail movements while anchoring shorter road legs for final delivery. It is a model that aligns closely with the operational needs of battery-electric trucks.

With Maritime’s Northampton Gateway now live, the company’s rail freight network is even more critical to the rollout of eHGVs by shortening the road leg to a manageable electric range. “Rail is crucial for increasing the viability of eHGVs,” explained Tom Williams, deputy CEO at Maritime Transport. “Since the launch of Maritime Intermodal in 2019, we have moved from railing six per cent of our volume to circa thirty per cent in 2026.”

Rail offers a range of solutions

Range anxiety, which remains an issue for private electric vehicle owners, is evident for commercial operators too. However, the regime is more predictable in the eHGV sector, where access to charging infrastructure can be planned in advance. Even so, questions remain around how far heavy electric trucks can travel under load across varied duty cycles.

“Two of the big criticisms of eHGVs are payload and range,” said Williams. “Focusing on range, technology will help improve this area as battery chemistry develops. Charging networks are also improving, which will support longer journeys. However, these changes will take time and investment before they fully address operational requirements across the sector.”

Intermodal model reduces cost

“If we focus on these alone, there is still a lot of time and money required to overcome the barrier,” Williams added. “By using rail, which is here and in use now, we are effectively removing range as a barrier for eHGVs. Take our Manchester operation [at Trafford Park]. A vehicle, on average, will do less than 1,000 miles per week, which is well-suited to electric operation.”

“What is more,” added Williams, “if the final mile is short enough, you can reduce the number of batteries required. That in turn gives you the ability to carry more payload.” This interplay between rail and road highlights a key advantage of intermodal logistics. By shifting energy-intensive trunk haul to rail, operators can deploy lighter, more efficient electric trucks for distribution, improving both economics and emissions performance.

Infrastructure investment supports wider adoption

Maritime’s rollout includes 56 eHGVs across 13 depots and rail-connected terminals during 2026, supported by a growing high-powered charging network. Once complete, the company expects to have more than 22MW of installed capacity, capable of charging over 100 vehicles simultaneously. Importantly, this infrastructure will also be accessible to third-party operators, potentially accelerating wider industry uptake.

The initiative is backed by the government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme, delivered with support from Innovate UK. Maritime is participating across multiple projects, testing electric, hydrogen, and diesel vehicles on live routes. However, the company’s operational model remains consistent. Rail handles the long-distance movement, while electric trucks complete the final mile, offering a pragmatic route to decarbonisation using existing assets.

This terminal demonstrates how integration has become the defining feature of UK freight. Long-distance trunk haul moves by rail from DP World Southampton, while road handles distribution across the Midlands. The interface is physical and immediate. Containers are lifted, mounted on trailers and dispatched within minutes. It is a practical example of policy ambition translated into operational reality on a windy Northamptonshire plateau. Well, it is Britain in late February.

The tunnel as a statement of intent

The northern tunnel remains the site’s most striking feature. Once a cathedral of raw concrete, it now performs its intended function. Rail dives beneath the landscape (and the West Coast Main Line’s Northampton loop) and surfaces inside the logistics park, delivering traffic directly to the terminal. That geometry eliminates conflicting movements and enables efficient reception of intermodal trains. Integration begins not with cranes or warehouses, but with infrastructure designed to make the handover seamless.

Speed matters as much as structure. Junctions engineered for forty-mile-per-hour (64kph) entry replace the traditional walking pace into freight sidings. That single detail alters commercial viability. Rail becomes competitive when it reduces dwell time and increases utilisation. The tunnel represents more than engineering theatre. It signals an operational philosophy that treats freight paths as productive assets rather than residual capacity.

Motorways, warehouses and the last mile

Beyond the terminal fence, the logistics park stretches towards the motorway. Critics see lorry traffic and landscape change. Both are visible and politically sensitive – just ask the residents of St Albans. Yet those vehicles represent distribution rather than trunk haul. Each container arriving by rail removes a long-distance road journey from southern England. The remaining mileage is local or regional, reflecting the economic geography of modern supply chains rather than a failure of modal shift.

The access bridge diverting traffic away from Roade illustrates how infrastructure can mitigate community impact. Strategic rail freight interchanges must solve planning constraints as well as transport challenges. Landscaped bunds, controlled routing and grade separation are now standard expectations. Integration extends beyond modes. It includes reconciling national logistics requirements with local environmental and social considerations.

From company sidings to shared hubs

Northampton Gateway exists because the traditional factory siding has largely disappeared. Production and distribution have consolidated into multi-user hubs. Rail must therefore connect to shared logistics parks rather than individual premises. Similar patterns are visible at iPort Doncaster, Mossend and, of course, Maritime’s own East Midlands Gateway. The common factor is proximity to motorways and the presence of large distribution centres requiring high-volume inbound flows.

The inclusion of bulk aggregates handling alongside intermodal capacity reflects a mature operating model, evident at Northampton. Multi-commodity terminals provide resilience against market fluctuations and maximise path utilisation. Flexibility encourages rail adoption by multiple sectors, embedding it within the wider logistics ecosystem. Integration is strengthened when terminals accommodate diverse traffic rather than relying on a single commodity stream.

A wider network taking shape

Recent developments at Barking Eurohub suggest the interface will soon extend beyond domestic distribution. With Network Rail assuming control and support from the UK Department for Transport, the prospect of renewed Channel Tunnel intermodal services is becoming tangible. Inland terminals such as Northampton Gateway could feed international rail corridors, reducing reliance on road-based port hinterland movements.

That possibility reframes integration as a trade enabler rather than a transport policy aspiration. Efficient transfer between rail and road within the UK becomes the first stage of a continental supply chain. The operational lessons visible in Northamptonshire have national significance. If Britain seeks rail freight growth, it will occur at these interfaces, where infrastructure, planning and commercial practice converge.

By combining over 30 daily rail services linking major UK ports with nine inland terminals, Maritime ZERO offers customers a zero-emission alternative for both long-distance and local transport. Battery-electric handling and transport entering service this November will enable a fully sustainable door-to-door solution.

Integrated rail and road model

“Launching this year, Maritime ZERO is our new division dedicated to zero-emission transport, delivering battery electric trucks, high-powered charging infrastructure, and the network-wide capability required to support our customers’ decarbonisation goals,” said a company statement. Maritime Transport’s intermodal rail network allows operators to accommodate the UK’s longest and heaviest freight trains. At its nine UK terminals – Wakefield, Tilbury, Manchester, iPort Doncaster, Northampton, Mossend, East Midlands Gateway, Tamworth, and Hams Hall – the company deploys over 100 handling machines.

Maritime also stores more than 30,000 TEU of loaded and empty containers across off-dock sites. These are at Ipswich, Liverpool, Felixstowe, and DP World London Gateway (where plans are already in hand for a second rail terminal. “Maritime ZERO gives customers a carbon-efficient solution from port to final delivery,” said Tom Williams of Maritime Transport. “By combining rail and zero-emission trucks, we can deliver both environmental benefits and operational flexibility across the UK supply chain.”

Accurate carbon reporting

Alongside the launch, Maritime Transport has introduced a carbon reporting system fully integrated with its transport management platform, TOPS. The system calculates emissions for every journey stage, supporting Scope 3 reporting and helping customers track progress against sustainability goals. Data is presented in line with Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) standards, offering actionable insights for further emissions reduction. “Fully integrated with our growing rail network to maximise emissions savings, Maritime ZERO forms part of a long-term strategy to build the UK’s cleanest, most sustainable full-load supply chain”, said Maritime.

Maritime Transport Ltd is a UK-based logistics operator offering integrated rail and road services. Its intermodal network and fleet solutions provide a sustainable, high-capacity alternative for freight moving across the country, including dedicated services linking Felixstowe, DP World London Gateway, and Southampton with inland terminals. The company supports a flexible operating model tailored to customer requirements and is committed to sustainable, zero-emission logistics.

The story begins on the Settle and Carlisle line. In the 1970s, the route was marked for closure, dismissed as uneconomic and underused by passengers. A public campaign saved it, but few then imagined how indispensable it would become to the modern network. Half a century later, the line stands not just as a tourist attraction, but as a vital freight artery, a lifeline for quarries, and a diversionary route that will keep the West Coast Main Line moving during next year’s extensive renewal works.

Freight and passenger in harmony

A naming ceremony for locomotive 66791 Settle & Carlisle 150 (the line pictured above) marked more than nostalgia. It symbolised the future of integrated use. When the West Coast Main Line closes for bridge work in early 2026, it will be the Settle and Carlisle that quietly takes the strain. The message is clear. Freight can preserve and justify routes that passenger traffic alone may never sustain. The network, however, needs the capacity. It also demonstrates how a railway designed in the Victorian era can still serve twenty-first-century connected logistics.

The new East West Rail project embodies the same spirit. Planners originally conceived it as a passenger link between Oxford and Cambridge. Common sense eventually prevailed. It was decided to adapt the line to carry freight even before it was completed. In June this year, Maritime Transport operated the first commercial service between Oxford and Bletchley, connecting it to its new Northampton Gateway terminal. The high-speed turnouts and loop access design allow the modern and huge logistics hub to live alongside a busy passenger railway, rather than compromising it.

Freight projects benefit passengers

East West Rail confirmed that a line built for passenger reconnection could also unlock the flow of goods across southern England. The design of the junction into the terminal, allowing freight to join the main line at speeds up to forty miles per hour, is a small engineering detail with a large strategic consequence. It avoids conflicts with passenger traffic and proves that smart design can make shared use efficient rather than antagonistic.

Shared use, however, still depends on infrastructure that respects both parties. The Werrington Tunnel near Peterborough is a prime example. It opened to fanfares beneath the East Coast Main Line in 2021. The headlines spoke of faster passenger journeys and fewer delays. The real triumph, though, was in the quiet separation of freight paths from the high-speed passenger corridor. By allowing relatively slower trains to dive under the main line, rather than cross it, the tunnel gave back valuable capacity to both. With the East Coast Main Line catching up to its West Coast counterpart, it can use all the capacity it can get.

When it doesn’t work out

Where investment has ignored the need for balance, the consequences are immediate. On the Bidston Line between Wrexham and the Wirral, Transport for Wales and GB Railfreight found themselves fighting for the same paths—passenger growth on one side, industrial output on the other.

The dispute reached the Office of Rail and Road in 2022, when the regulator was forced to adjudicate. It was not a good look for rail as a transport corridor. The eventual compromise worked, but it illustrated that rail capacity is finite, and unless new schemes are designed from the outset to carry both people and goods, conflict is inevitable.

The future’s bright, the future’s freight

There are also lessons in the lines yet to be revived. In the North of England, far removed from the hype of Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2, more locally grounded campaigners for the reopening of the 12-mile (19km) Skipton to Colne link make an economic case that is as strong for freight as for passengers. The short missing stretch would restore a trans-Pennine corridor for goods between Lancashire and Yorkshire, reducing circuitous detours and unlocking fresh opportunities for intermodal services.

Similar potential lies hidden under the brooding stonework of the Cadishead Viaduct in Salford. The Victorians built it wide enough to take additional freight lines that never materialised. Well, not yet. The viaduct once carried the Cheshire Lines route that could, in theory, connect the long-awaited Port Salford sea, road and rail intermodal hub (see reporting in WorldCargo News) with Trafford Park or its successor in a single continuous corridor. Peel Ports’ long-term Atlantic Gateway vision hints at that possibility. The structure itself still stands, solid and unused, waiting for a new purpose in an era that badly needs rail capacity.

In West London, a more modest but equally telling example lies in the Dudding Hill Line. At present, it is a freight-only link threading quietly through Brent and Ealing, connecting the Midland, West Coast and Great Western main lines. For decades, it has carried heavy trains through back gardens and industrial estates while passengers scarcely knew it existed. Now, proposals for the West London Orbital plan (promoted by Transport for London) to reopen it to passenger services as part of the Overground. If realised, it would become another demonstration that investment in one mode benefits the other. The very act of expansion invites wider use.

Building for both is building for better

When Britain builds or upgrades its railways with freight as an afterthought, it risks missing half the value. When it plans holistically, the results multiply. Sometimes, the law of unintended consequences works in everyone’s favour. Freight sustains routes between passenger peaks; passenger traffic makes the business case for keeping lines open that freight alone could not justify. The two are not rivals but interdependent parts of the same economic engine.

From Settle to Brent, from Peterborough to Salford, it is the railway’s versatility that is its strength. Freight is not a separate network. It is the bloodstream of the same system that carries commuters, tourists and shoppers. If Britain wants a resilient, low-carbon, future-proof railway, it must stop drawing lines between them. Build the line, open the route, strengthen the bridge. If you expand it, they will come.

At 13:00 on Monday 16 June, a train, originating at DP World Southampton, hauled by locomotive “Maritime Intermodal Six”, rolled onto the East West Rail infrastructure at Oxford, travelling 35 miles (56 kilometres) to Milton Keynes where it connected with the West Coast Main Line. It marked the opening of new cross-country rail freight capacity, supporting the broader aim of shifting goods from road to rail across the UK logistics network.

East West Rail in commercial operation

East West Rail is a multi-phase government-backed initiative designed to re-establish a direct rail corridor between Oxford and Cambridge. Its first section, known as Connection Stage One, restores services for passengers and freight between Oxford and Milton Keynes. The 1,2 billion pound (1,42 billion euros) section was completed in late 2024.

“This is a big step forward,” said Gary Walsh, Director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route. “The new rail link has been designed to let trains move in and out at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometres per hour), which is much faster than usual for freight terminals. This means less disruption to passenger services and a smoother, more efficient railway overall.”

Maritime opens for business at Northampton Gateway

The inaugural train was also the first to call at Maritime Transport’s new SRFI at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton. The 35-acre facility, directly connected to the West Coast Main Line via the Northampton Loop, was developed in partnership with SEGRO and Network Rail. The junctions allow rail movements at 40 miles per hour (64 kilometres per hour), significantly faster than the industry standard of 5 miles per hour (8 kilometres per hour).

“The arrival of our first service via EWR is an important step in expanding UK rail freight capacity,” said John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal, Maritime Transport. “This development demonstrates how infrastructure and private-sector investment can deliver a more efficient and sustainable supply chain, while easing pressure on a congested road network.”

A wider rollout of low-carbon services

The new service, operated by DB Cargo UK, runs five times per week between DP World Southampton and Northampton Gateway, with a capacity of up to 68 TEU per train (34 forty-foot containers). It’s one of several new flows introduced by Maritime Transport as part of a broader expansion of low-carbon logistics, connecting deep-sea ports with inland terminals.

“DB Cargo UK is proud to once again be partnering with its long-standing and strategic customer on this inaugural flow into Northampton Gateway,” said Roger Neary, Chief Sales Officer. “This new flow facilitates additional capacity into this important region of the country in a sustainable manner.”

Policy and investment backing modal shift

The service has benefited from infrastructure agency Network Rail’s Track Access Discount Scheme, which waives certain charges for new flows over their initial six-month period. The initiative aims to incentivise modal shift, reduce heavy goods vehicle movements, and support the growth of sustainable transport corridors. DP World also has an incentive scheme running at Southampton to encourage the take-up of rail services.

“Seeing both this new rail connection to Maritime’s SRFI and the East West Rail route in commercial freight use for the first time are huge moments in both projects,” said Brian Paynter, Capital Delivery Track Director, Network Rail. “Opening up this economically important rail route will greatly improve connectivity across the country.”

Supporting regional growth and green logistics

The SRFI sits at the heart of a 200 million pounds (234 million euros) logistics development, strategically located near Junction 15 of the M1 motorway. According to SEGRO, each train movement into the site has the potential to remove up to 76 HGVs from the roads.

“With rail freight contributing 1,7 billion pounds (two billion euros) to the economy, this milestone is not only a shot in the arm for growth, it also supports a greener, more efficient supply chain,” said Kate Bedson, Senior Director, National Markets, SEGRO. “We’re excited to see real momentum building at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton.”

“London Gateway is seeing strong growth in container volumes, supported by its role in the Gemini Cooperation’s Asia–Europe network and a major expansion project that will further strengthen its position as one of the UK’s leading deep-sea ports”, Intermodal Managing Director John Bailey of Maritime Transport explains.

More than just Doncaster and Hams Hall

Considering that, better inland connectivity is only a logical step forward. “As throughput increases, so too does the need for reliable inland connections. These new rail services provide the additional capacity needed to support that growth, enhance our national network, and enable a more meaningful shift from road to rail as part of a lower-carbon, more efficient UK supply chain”, Bailey adds.

The two services to iPort Doncaster and the Hams Hall terminal, which will run from Monday to Saturday, are just pieces of Maritime Transport’s plans. The company is eyeing more; it wants to launch additional services in the coming weeks. Those would expand connectivity between major UK ports and Maritime’s nine rail freight terminals.

“New routes currently in development include Felixstowe to Manchester, DP World London Gateway to the East Midlands, and Southampton to Maritime’s SRFI at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton – the latest addition to the company’s growing rail terminal portfolio which is now fully integrated into the national rail network”, Maritime Transport writes.

Tritax has made a representation to the UK government, hoping to smooth the final steps towards gaining approval. News of Hinckley comes on the coattails of a Manchester proposal, at Newton-le-Willows, and several other developments coming down the tracks. Hinckley would be the latest in the highly desirable “logistics golden triangle” of the English East Midlands.

Conflicts of locations locations locations

There has been stiff opposition to logistics developments, mainly on the grounds of road congestion and loss of amenities. However, previous recent developments, such as the established East Midlands Gateway, or the massive SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, currently under construction, have proved that a manicured amenity can be cultivated around the warehousing and rail tracks.

The submission comes a week after the government outlined a series of major infrastructure initiatives aimed at revitalising the UK economy. Tritax has referred to their project as a “once in a generation opportunity to deliver a major infrastructure project, which has rail freight, sustainability and economic growth at its core.”

Thousands of jobs in the sector

Tritax has no doubt that their project at Hinckley will proceed. HNRFI is already supported by Maritime Group, who are on board to operate the site’s 40-acre (16ha) rail freight interchange, capable of handling up to 16 trains per day when peak capacity is reached. Tritax says that equates to more than 83 million miles (133 million kilometres) of heavy goods vehicle movements avoided, and around 70,120 tonnes of CO2 avoided each year.

Hinckley is an £800m (€936m) private sector initiative. In addition to rail and road infrastructure, up to 850,000 sq m (9.1 million sq ft) of modern, rail-served, warehousing and logistics space will be provided. Tritax say around 8000 jobs will be created, and local public transport will be upgraded to support new commuter flows.

Unique statement of confidence

“HNRFI is the first development of its kind to have signed up a Rail Freight Terminal operator, Maritime Group, before a DCO has been granted,” explained Andrew Dickman, Managing Director at Tritax Big Box Developments. “We have worked diligently to design a project which will improve connectivity, create investment, alleviate road congestion and create a sustainable development which will benefit Leicestershire.”

Hinckley is not a new project. RailFreight.com has carried reports periodically since 2020. However, the change of ruling party in the British government has signalled a significant change in the planning process, with a presumption towards granting applications like Hinckley. The end may not be in sight, but perhaps the beginning is just over the horizon.

Moving Tesco goods on the railways will take about 90 weekly trucks off of UK roads. With the new service, which will run six times a week, “the number of Tesco stores receiving deliveries by rail to 198”, the company claimed. Moreover, it will now be possible to use trucks only for first and last-mile deliveries, with freight trains carrying out the longer legs of the journeys.

The Felixstowe-based UK firm Maritime Transport is passing to Naples by way of Geneva. The acquisition by MEDLOG will make the UK landslide logistics operator part of the MSC group. To what extent that may impact on Maritime rail operations, particularly intermodal traffic at Britain’s busiest container port and rail terminal, is a matter of positive speculation. For now, however, it’s business as usual.

One of the success stories of British industry

After 23 years of steady growth, Maritime has attracted a powerful suitor in MSC through the Italian shipping company’s land transport arm, MEDLOG. Initial reports are that the acquisition is a purely financial transaction. The management and brand of Maritime will remain in place. So, Britain’s rails will still see the deep blue of Maritime’s distinctive fleet of locomotives, which will not be usurped by the black-on-yellow of MEDLOG.

Maritime was established in 2001 under the leadership of Executive Chairman John Williams, who remains at the helm of the company. It has been one of the success stories of British industry. Maritime has grown to become an asset-rich business with 41 sites, including a network of rail freight terminals, offering 36 daily rail services, many of them intermodal operations from Felixstowe. The company has 3,000 personnel, and in addition to its rail operations, it runs a fleet of 1,600 Euro-6-compliant heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Common heritage, culture, values and understanding

Maritime is in good health. The last annual report returned a gross profit of over £100m (€117m). The company only opened a new container handling facility in Liverpool this week and has recently signed management deals to handle traffic at some strategically important rail and logistics terminals in the UK. The latter developments may well be of interest to MSC’s logistics management division, Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). There is, however, no hint of management passing out of the direct hands of Maritime.

“We are really pleased to have secured the long-term future of the business,” said John Williams in comments made to our sister publication, WorldCargo News. “[We are now] part of an independent, global logistics organisation capable of providing the continued investment to help us with our exciting plans to develop the company for all our stakeholders. In MEDLOG, we share a common heritage, culture, values and understanding. We look forward to their support in realising the full potential of Maritime and our commitment to our valued employees, customers and suppliers.”

Wealth of knowledge within Maritime

John Williams went on to stress the continued independence of Maritime. “We will continue to develop practical, technology-driven, infrastructure-led supply chain solutions and set a high bar for service performance in the UK with new battery electric trucks on order and our rail terminals operating on an open access basis for existing and new customers.”

From Geneva, Giuseppe Prudente, the Chairman of MEDLOG, was equally enthusiastic about the prospect of expanding his company’s logistics footprint in the United Kingdom. “MEDLOG specialises in intermodal transportation, providing solutions in more than 80 countries,” he said. “The wealth of knowledge within Maritime, coupled with the investment and expertise from MEDLOG, will power continued innovation into the UK’s logistics infrastructure for the future in a manner that’s aligned with our values and the respect we hold for the environment.”

Maritime’s current management team, headed by John Williams, will remain with the business and continue to run the company, with new investment support from MEDLOG under the ‘Maritime’ brand.

Original reporting by Jasmina Ovčina Mandra at WorldCargo News, with additional UK insight by Simon Walton. 

The brand new Maritime intermodal facility opened on Monday, 2 September 2024. The headline operational statistics are round-the-clock availability and capacity for up to 2,000 TEU. Maritime stresses that the new facility is more than just hard standing for a thousand containers. They say it offers a full spectrum of storage, handling, and maintenance services, supporting both long and short-term requirements for loaded and empty container storage. The site also features reefer (refrigerated container) plugin points, local delivery support services, and a comprehensive security setup.

Supports Maritime rail operations

The new Liverpool storage facility is not directly served by a rail connection. However, it does support rail operations, and that makes this compound vital to operations overall. With container ships docking at Liverpool, capable of delivering up to ten thousand containers in one cargo, the need for immediate storage is vital. To that end, Maritime has dedicated two of its recently purchased SANY H9 reach stackers for operations at the site, making possible transfer for road or rail.

“We are delighted to open our newest container storage site at the Port of Liverpool, meeting the rising demand for storage options in the area,” said Tom Williams, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Maritime Transport. “This expansion increases our capacity and provides new, modern facilities for our drivers and operational teams. It’s an excellent addition to our network that will undoubtedly strengthen our service capabilities and accommodate the growing volume of cargo activity at the Port. Among the recent important developments at the Port of Liverpool have been the announcement of the refurbishment of the Brockelbank Dock to serve Anglo-Irish traffic and the inauguration of an Asia-UK container route, operated by shipping line MSC and designated as its “Britannia” service. It’s operations like that which make container storage and rail connections all the more vital for Liverpool.

Resilience of the UK supply chain

“We’re very pleased to see the completion of Maritime’s purpose-built space at the Port of Liverpool, which is a really positive development for the region that will create additional opportunities for cargo owners and retailers under current economic pressures,” said David Huck, Chief Operating Officer, Peel Ports Group, who manage the Port of Liverpool. “This investment highlights the Port’s strategic importance as a hub for both national and international trade, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Maritime as we work together to support the growth and resilience of the UK’s supply chain.”

Maritime now operates four dedicated container storage sites in Ipswich, Northampton, Liverpool, and Southampton, exceeding 30,000 TEU capacity. Remarkably, that figure represents little more than the single cargo load of the biggest container ships currently at sea. It also represents a full load for more than 300 intermodal trains. As part of the port project at Liverpool, Maritime says it is almost trebling the size of its transport depot to almost five hectares. The company has also recently signed deals to operate several inland intermodal terminals, including an exclusive agreement to develop, lease, and operate the planned £750 million (€880m) strategic rail freight interchange at Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange in the English Midlands.