Planning New Terminals

• Alongside an existing railway line (to minimise length of any rail link)
• Alongside a major highway route with good links to the terminal itself
• On flat terrain, level with the railway line (to avoid gradients)
• In proximity to the origin or destination of freight traffic
• Adjacent to sources of developable land (for future expansion)
• Distant from residential development

For most rail freight terminals, the accessibility of the site by road as well as rail will be a key requirement, to ensure operational flexibility between both modes. A new terminal should therefore be sited in proximity to both road and rail networks, as close to the likely origin or destination of the freight traffic in tending to use the facility. The local road and rail networks should also possess sufficient capacity to cater for both anticipated traffic levels as well as possible future growth (see below), as capacity enhancements on either network are likely to cost several million pounds to achieve, usually at the developers expense. Issues relating to capacity might include:

• Sufficient rail paths and road space to cater for traffic movements
• Sufficient headroom and width for the anticipated road and rail vehicles (i.e. loading gauge) to access the site
• Sufficient space within the terminal to allow for manoeuvring by articulated lorries and mobile handling equipment
• Sufficient strength in infrastructure to cope with rail vehicles (up to 25 tonne axle loads) and HGVs (up to 44 tonne gross vehicle weight).

As with any new transport-related development, there will be a need to consider local concerns regarding possible impacts from both the terminal itself, and any resulting road and rail movements. Good practice should be to:

a) Avoid creating impacts
b) Minimise the number and scale of any impacts created
c) Mitigate those impacts that will be created
d) Compensate those for whom impacts cannot be mitigated

In some cases, impacts may be balanced in planning terms by new economic and employment opportunities attracted to the terminal or surrounding area by the new facility, although it should be noted that rail-connected warehousing and terminals are not generally labour-intensive activities.

Design

Good design of a rail-linked terminal will not only assist the viability of the rail freight flow in question, but could also encourage further use of the facility by other flows or customers. View good design practice covering a range of scenarios.

Back to top

Land take

The 'footprint' for a terminal may vary enormously, from a single siding and road access to an intermodal terminal capable of handling a full-length Channel Tunnel train, as well as storage space for intermodal units.

In terms of the shape of the terminal footprint, this should try where economically possible to reflect the length of trains likely to use the terminal, and the handling arrangements for the trains. For example, a 700m intermodal train may need to be split into two x 350m portions, to minimise the amount of travel required for the intermodal cranes that would straddle both portions.

Unless the terminal handling arrangements dictate otherwise, the split ting of trains into more than two portions should be avoided where possible, to reduce potentially costly and time-consuming shunting movements required to break down and make up a train.

Back to top

Lead time

The nature of the logistics industry is such that, for anything other than major new sources of traffic (e.g. a new quarry or factory complex), freight transport operations may need to be planned and executed within days or weeks, rather than months or years.

Where a short lead time is critical, every effort should be made to identify an existing railhead to use, if only as a short-term measure while a new terminal is constructed. If no such facility exists, then it may be possible to develop an interim facility on a fast-track basis, again as a short-term measure. Local authorities can have a key role in such developments, by use of temporary planning permissions (subject to timing of planning committee cycles) to enable a quick start to time-sensitive construction of trackwork and access roads. There may even be limited scope for loading and unloading of trains directly on running lines.

From Network Rail's perspective, advance notice of new terminal developments could be critical to the lead time involved. We recommended that notification of new terminal projects be made to the relevant Network Rail Senior Route Freight Manager at the earliest opportunity.

Back to top