The Anonymous Widower

New Freight Interchange Connects To West Coast Main Line

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

This is the sub-heading.

Rail passengers have been thanked after major work to connect a new rail to road freight interchange with the West Coast main line was completed.

These two paragraphs outline the project.

The work, which took nine days, saw new track, points and signalling systems installed to connect the existing railway to the new sidings at the under-construction freight facility at SEGRO logistics park in Northampton.

Once complete, the facility will provide 5 million square ft of warehouse space and employ up to 7,000 people.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of SEGRO logistics park in Northampton (SLPN).

Note.

1. SEGRO logistics park in Northampton is in the middle of the map.
2. The M1 motorway runs along the North-East side of the logistics park
3. The complex junction of the M1 at the Eastern side of the logistics park is Junction 15.
4. The orange line down the West side of SLPN is the Northampton Loop Line.
5. A loop from the Northampton Loop Line is used to create a Rail Freight Interchange on the West side of the logistics park.
6. The red line running across the South-West corner of the map is the West Coast Main Line.

The SEGRO logistics park has a comprehensive web site, which shows seven plots.

These are my thoughts.

Freight Trains

Initial plans talk of four freight trains per day, with more to come in the future.

This picture from Network Rail shows the Northern end of the Rail Freight Interchange.

Note.

1. There is a freight train, which looks like it’s going North on the Northampton Loop Line.
2. There are tunnels at the Northern end of the site.
3. This page on the Network Rail web site has another picture and a video.
4. It looks like there will be a lot of concrete.

It will be interesting to see the final layout in a year or so.

There Is No Mention Of A Rail Station

In everything I’ve read about the SLPN, there is no mention of a railway station, so this must mean that all the seven thousand or more workers on the site, will get there by road.

The only thing I can see about transport for workers to and from the site is this sentence.

A sustainable bus route will connect SLPN to the town centre and local neighbourhoods to the south.

Well-designed and implemented, it would properly suffice.

Nothing though is said about cycling or walking!

There Is No Mention Of Hydrogen

It is likely, that in the life of SLPN, there will be a significant move to hydrogen-powered heavy trucks.

Has SLPN been designed with hydrogen in mind.

Solar Thermal Heating

The buildings are noted as having solar thermal heating. That is a new one on me, but it seems possible.

I took these pictures as I passed the site on my return from Birmingham on September 21st 2023

One concrete tunnel is clearly visible.

 

September 13, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | Freight, Hydrogen-Powered Trucks, Logistics, Northampton Loop Line, SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton (SLPN), West Coast Main Line