how are so many freight trains timetabled into Felixstowe?

[Eshonbel]

So there are quite a lot of freight trains to/from Felixstowe. The track is bi-directional (I think) - how do they fit all the trains there?

Also, I've seen a few Youtube videos where the say where the freight is to/from. Is there like a freight timetable?

 

[D6975]

It's not all single track, it's double till it splits from the coast line, there's a loop at Derby Road and the line to the South terminal comes off at Trimley. It's still pretty congested though.
If you look at the freight timetables, a lot of the freights are grouped in bunches of 2 or even 3, only one of which runs on any one day.

 

[ac6000cw]

Just to clarify, it's double track from Ipswich East Suffolk Junction (and the new Europa Junction) to Westerfield, then single to Derby Road (which has a passing loop), then single to Felixstowe passenger station. The single line to North Terminal splits off at Trimley, the one to South Terminal just before the passenger station. There is no passing loop at Trimley. I *think* there is a set of intermediate signals between Derby Road and Trimley to allow trains in the same direction to follow each other through that section.

The port website has a train schedule - https://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/rail/rail-schedule - but of course as D6975 says, not all trains actually run on any one day.

As to how it works - in practice the people 'on the ground' (signallers/drivers/conductors/dispatchers etc) make it work, but there is very little slack in the system to cope with things going wrong. When the passenger trains are running, quite often a freight will closely follow a passenger train - it has time to get clear of the 'mainline' while the passenger train is at Ispwich/Felixstowe. Sometimes it's possible to squeeze two freights between passenger workings (especially if they are to/from different terminals).

 

[306024]

Very difficult bit of railway to plan, let alone operate. The PPM of the Felixstowe passenger service is nothing to shout about, and it is not unknown for a round between Ipswich and Felixstowe to have to be cancelled to reduce overall congestion when it starts to unravel.

The interaction with the East Suffolk line trains between Ipswich and Westerfield can't be overlooked either. When the new hourly East Suffolk line timetable was being designed it was soon realised there was only one option which would maintain freight capacity too. Effectively for Felixstowe bound trains it is single track from London side of Westerfield, which makes reoccupying the branch take longer.

Of course it would be nice if someone put their hand in their pocket to double track the branch. Although the bridge over the A14 at Nacton is designed for two tracks (it was replaced in the 80s from memory), there is another nearby that would cost a lot to replace. The freight lobby would rather bully the little old 153 off the branch, which may well have an economic case, but not a political one.....well not this year.

 

[TheEdge]

The trains tend to be very tightly timetabled. Often from my view (on the 153s) you will sometimes pass and see up to five freights on a single out and back;

One in each direction between Ipswich and Westerfield
Pass one both times at Derby Road
Often catch site of one heading into the North Terminal as the passenger service heads back to Ipswich.

As 306024 says freight is king along there and its more common to see the passenger services caped to keep the freight running.

Sometimes I do wonder if it might come to the point where there is only a morning and evening peak service and at the weekend, the middle of the day services are normally carrying air. Holiday periods however...

 

[snowball]

The legal formalities to double 7km of the branch were completed last summer. Anyone know how likely it is to happen?

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2164711

 

[railnerd]

Hi.

I cant get the gazette link to open on my pc.
Werent they just gonna put in a passing loop at Levington tho? I thought they decided on that rather than double the lot.

 

[CockneySparrow]

So there are quite a lot of freight trains to/from Felixstowe. The track is bi-directional (I think) - how do they fit all the trains there?

Also, I've seen a few Youtube videos where the say where the freight is to/from. Is there like a freight timetable?

I would hope so as its mostly single line
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Just to clarify, it's double track from Ipswich East Suffolk Junction (and the new Europa Junction) to Westerfield, then single to Derby Road (which has a passing loop), then single to Felixstowe passenger station. The single line to North Terminal splits off at Trimley, the one to South Terminal just before the passenger station. There is no passing loop at Trimley. I *think* there is a set of intermediate signals between Derby Road and Trimley to allow trains in the same direction to follow each other through that section.

The port website has a train schedule - https://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/rail/rail-schedule - but of course as D6975 says, not all trains actually run on any one day.

As to how it works - in practice the people 'on the ground' (signallers/drivers/conductors/dispatchers etc) make it work, but there is very little slack in the system to cope with things going wrong. When the passenger trains are running, quite often a freight will closely follow a passenger train - it has time to get clear of the 'mainline' while the passenger train is at Ispwich/Felixstowe. Sometimes it's possible to squeeze two freights between passenger workings (especially if they are to/from different terminals).

Yes correct, the line splits off at Trimley and runs through the old platform 2 then veers off, once a train starts to run through platform 2 it will have no access Felixstowe station

Usually if there is a backlog or a problem the passenger trains are cancelled to allow freight to get back on track

There was talk of closing the line to passengers and replacing it with a permanent bus paid for by the port, however haven't heard any news on this for a while

 

[snowball]

Hi.

I cant get the gazette link to open on my pc.
Werent they just gonna put in a passing loop at Levington tho? I thought they decided on that rather than double the lot.

It works for me, but try this link to the text of the order on a different site:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1821/contents/made

Edit: I don't know whether the plans are online anywhere.

Further edit: Reading the Explanatory Note it appears it is supplementary to a previous order made in 2008 which is here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2512/contents/made

Looks like powers in the 2008 order which had not been used expired in 2013, and the 2014 order was needed to renew them.

 

[Class 170101]

Of course it would be nice if someone put their hand in their pocket to double track the branch. Although the bridge over the A14 at Nacton is designed for two tracks (it was replaced in the 80s from memory), there is another nearby that would cost a lot to replace. The freight lobby would rather bully the little old 153 off the branch, which may well have an economic case, but not a political one.....well not this year.

Further to this a Section 106 Agreement does apply to the Felixstowe line in return for expansion of the port facilities around Felixstowe above a certain level (not exactly sure what this is mind).

However unfortunately I have to agree with the poster above that the freight lobby would rather push passenger trains off the line including some of the recent rail press coverage and the freight operators like GBRF rather than spend money to upgrade the line.