GB Railfreight (GBRf) ran the first train in its seventh slot from the Port of Felixstowe on September 2, boosting its capacity at the port by 23%.

The train runs five days a week from Felixstowe to Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal at Birch Coppice, carrying 33 wagons initially. GBRf has ordered 15 Ecofret wagons from VTG Rail specifically for this train, and these will expand increase train length to 45 wagons. The inaugural run was hauled by 66761.

“We have worked extremely hard to identify opportunities to increase our capacity to and from the port. As a result, we now run the longest intermodal freight trains on the network with wagons that can accommodate 40-foot containers,” said GBRf Managing Director John Smith.

“The winning of our seventh slot is an important milestone. It enables us to further expand our capacity, helping us to continue to meet the demand from our customers and support the growth of the intermodal rail freight market and its potential to take freight off the roads.”