Railtrack Plans Warrington Rail Freight Terminal

LONDON-Railtrack has applied to St Helens and Warrington councils for consent to redevelop the former Parkside colliery at Newton-le-Willows into a 287-acre freight terminal with a direct link off Junction 22 of the M6.

The proposal comprises an open access rail freight terminal capable of handling ten trains in and ten trains out per day and two million sf of rail-linked warehouse and distribution units. The site – midway between Liverpool and Manchester – has already been identified by the North West Regional Development Agency as one with ‘strategic importance’.

Julie Wrigley, development manager at Railtrack said: ‘This is an important scheme for the development and growth of rail freight in the North West and beyond. Creating high quality rail-linked distribution centres with shed to shed connectivity enables economic distribution distances to be dramatically shortened.’