Network Rail increasing freight capacity at the Port of Southampton.

Network Rail is unlocking more capacity at the Port of Southampton by upgrading the railway between Southampton Central and Redbridge and introducing longer freight trains.

At present, trains of 520m in length can access Southampton Western Docks in Millbrook and the Freightliner Maritime Terminal in Redbridge. By upgrading track and signals, the railway will soon be able to host trains of up 775m in length. That’s an improvement of around 20%, or 14 extra containers per train.

To complete this vital upgrade, there will be no trains through Southampton on the weekend of January 30 and 31 then from Saturday 13 to Friday 19 February 2021. When the work is complete it’ll be a major boost for the environment, as for each container we add to a freight train, we take one Heavy Goods Vehicle off the road, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To find out more visit networkrail.co.uk/Southampton-freight, where you can also subscribe to a regular project newsletter.