Teesport to get new £3m rail terminal

Work on Teesport's new rail terminal is expected to be finished by the end of the year

A port in Teesside is investing more than £3m in a new rail terminal, with hopes it will boost the local economy.

The Teesport terminal will create new connections to Suffolk and Southampton and could lead to more links with other areas, the port's operator said.

Rail haulier Freightliner, which will move to the terminal when it is complete, said it would make the port "more attractive" to business.

The new terminal is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

PD Ports, which runs Teesport, said it expected opportunities for new routes to Scotland, the Midlands and north-west England to arise as a result of the development.

'Easing congestion'

Freightliner said it would reduce its staff from 17 to nine when it moves to Teesport, which is near Middlesbrough, from its current base in Wilton, in Teesside.

But the company said the move was necessary to stay competitive.

Freightliner's commercial director Keith Grey said: "I think it'll make Teesport more attractive, having a rail provider in a rail terminal within the site.

"One of our trains will take, on a round-trip basis, 70 lorries off the road. It's not difficult to see where those benefits will come from."

The Road Haulage Association said, while rail freight had the benefit of easing congestion on the roads, lorries would always play an important role in getting goods to their final destination.

Work on the terminal is due to start later in July.