Balfour Beatty will develop the first of three rail terminals and double track the branch line to the new deep-sea container port being built on the north bank of the River Thames, to the east of London.
The rail terminal will be able to accommodate trains up to 34 wagons long, which according to port owner DP World will make it ‘future proof’.
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering managing director Marshall Scott said: “We are delighted to be working with London Gateway to build this important rail infrastructure which will help make the UK more competitive and create new options for distribution of freight.”
Gina Acosta, London Gateway port/park interface and rail terminal manager, said: “We recognise that customers are looking for a reliable service that will reduce transportation costs. With 33% of London Gateway port’s throughput expected to go by rail, we are committed to having the right infrastructure and operational processes in place from day one. We are also future proofing rail capacity by double tracking the branch line.”
London Gateway is set to open in Q4 2013. When fully developed, the port is expected to handle 3.5 million TEU annually and the adjacent logistics park will be the largest in Europe.
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