Doubling the Felixstowe branch?

[rs101]

I believe that quay extensions on the Felixstowe side are now at an end. Current work is concentrating on enlarged stacking yards.
Growth will therefore depend upon container handling efficiencies which (in view of up-thread comments) may be considerable. Also there is scope for transfer of traffic from road to rail, rail being less than 30% of current throughputs.
Hutchison Ports has had planning consent for Bathside Bay for some time. The last that I heard the consent, after the most recent time extension, requires a start on site by 2021.
The planning process has suffered appeals on the basis that the original permission was granted with the backdrop of the assertion that extra port capacity was urgently needed in the national interest. Delay in implementation would tend to defeat that assertion.
Anecdotally it has been suggested that the cost of ongoing dredging to afford the latest generation of super container ships access to the new quay may make the project uneconomic.
But of course that could just be fake news to mitigate and disrupt the actions of project detractors!

The Bathside Bay planning consent requires Hutchinson to make a very large contribution toward dualling the A120 from Harwich to Horsley Cross. Hence they're trying to extract the maximum possible usage from Felixstowe before starting work this side of the river.

They were also delaying major investment here until they'd seen the impact of the London Gateway port and the improvements at Tilbury. These don't seem to have had as much effect as they thought though.

 

[Class 170101]

Must take a similar amount of time for a container ship to sail up to London Gateway at probably a slower speed than carrying on at a higher speed to the coastal port that is Felixstowe.

 

[Bald Rick]

Must take a similar amount of time for a container ship to sail up to London Gateway at probably a slower speed than carrying on at a higher speed to the coastal port that is Felixstowe.

It takes much longer to get to Gateway. The ships have to get into the dredged channel for Gateway, and that starts within sight of the cranes for Felixstowe, just off the Naze.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Bathside Bay planning consent requires Hutchinson to make a very large contribution toward dualling the A120 from Harwich to Horsley Cross. Hence they're trying to extract the maximum possible usage from Felixstowe before starting work this side of the river.

They were also delaying major investment here until they'd seen the impact of the London Gateway port and the improvements at Tilbury. These don't seem to have had as much effect as they thought though.

The new Tilbury development (on the tidal Thames rather than within the locked dock) hasn't started yet, so will be a long time coming on stream.

Meanwhile Felixstowe has been having its own 'internal' problems with a new IT system that has caused significant disruption for months. Various trade lanes have diverted to other ports. Some shipping lines have also had major problems with recent cyber attacks. It has not been an easy few months with no definite end in sight, let alone tariffs and Brexit.

 

[LAX54]

Felixstowe Resig / Trimley Loop project still on time for a 29th May opening, this weekend (4th May) MORSTON HALL AHB's close for OD conversion work, and will reopen on 29th May, (diversions in place) Levington 24/5 to 1/7 and Thorpe Lane 29/5 to 17/6 (only if Morston open) Westerfield Xing closed for CCTV conversion 24th May to 15th July (Diversions in place)