Hams Hall railfreight terminal defiant in the face of recession

ABP acquired the 11-ha terminal in 2002 and has invested in an ongoing expansion programme, which has seen operational capacity treble. At peak times, Hams Hall can now handle up to 1,000 containers a day.

Mediterranean Shipping Company introduced a second daily service from Felixstowe from March. In June Norfolk Line also started a bi-weekly service from Hams Hall to Novara via the Channel Tunnel which, in September, signalled the first temperature controlled railfreight cargo for some years. In August DB Schenker began a daily service daily service to Mossend in Scotland. They also began a three weekly Channel Tunnel service to Novara in Italy in November enabling Channel Tunnel product to transfer at Hams Hall for onward movement to Scotland or vice versa.

The continued service improvements and sustained performance in the last year has been recognised by the prestigious HSBC Rail Business Awards. At the award ceremony on 11 February Hams Hall won the category for Supplier Excellence of the Year. The facility also received a highly commended in the Railfreight Excellence of the Year category and was a finalist for the Environmental Innovation of the Year award.