A £17.5 million project to enhance the Port of Southampton’s container offering for deep sea shipping lines has completed its first phase of construction.
Phase one of the project has seen 5.5 acres of new site installed including large areas of fibre reinforced concrete enabling the space to be used for stacking containers seven high with new Empty Container Handlers. New modern offices are also in place on site.
Phase One of the project has now been handed over to Solent Stevedores by contractors Ryebridge Construction and will be immediately used for storing loaded and empty containers.
The Solent Rail Terminal is undergoing a significant upgrade as part of joint investment between rail terminal operators Solent Stevedores and Associated British Ports. Once the project is complete, deep sea shipping lines will have access to an 18-acre facility that will link the existing intermodal rail transport site with laden and empty container handling, storage, maintenance and repair within a single-site boundary – a first for the Port of Southampton.
Phase Two of the investment is now underway and will include connecting a further 6.5 acres of space to the existing rail terminal and the final phase will see all rail track works complete.
Clive Thomas, Commercial Director at Solent Stevedores, said:
“We’ve reached a significant milestone in this project, and we’re really pleased to be moving forward into Phase Two.
“Further developing the rail provision at the Port of Southampton is key to the ongoing development of intermodal rail travel connecting deep sea shipping lines to the UK through the Solent Rail Terminal.”
Paul Reeves, Head of Commercial at ABP Southampton said:
“It is fantastic to reach the milestone of completing phase 1 of the development. We are very pleased with the progress of the work to date and are excited to watch Phase 2 progress. This project enables our customer to handle, store, and fix more containers on site at the port. Also, it is important to us, as the port operator, that we support our customers in their sustainability journey. The improved rail provision for the Solent Stevedores will enable the company to transport more of their clients’ containers via rail, reducing the number of HGVs on our roads and improving the local air quality.