The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) recently announced that the Department for Transport (DfT) has shortlisted the Solent Midlands Advancement of Rail Transport (SMART) scheme for funding under the new Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).  This project is intended to enhance the freight capacity of the link from Southampton to the West Coast Main Line.

SCT, the UK’s second largest container terminal, handles approximately 29% of containers by rail with the majority of containers travelling out of the terminal by road.  SCT would like to see this figure substantially grow but the current rail infrastructure out of Southampton limits the ability of rail operators to carry 9’6” containers without specialised rail wagons.

Commenting on the good news, Patrick Walters, Managing Director, SCT, said:

“SCT welcomes this very encouraging development step towards the much needed rail gauge enhancement project at Southampton.  We fully support the continuous hard work being carried out by SEEDA to deliver this vital project, which will improve both regional and national economic performance and productivity as well as have a positive impact on the environment.”

SCT has been working closely with ABP, SEEDA, Network Rail and other partners who form part of a “Core Delivery Team” to emphasise the local and national need for the project.