The £28.3 million Nuneaton north chord was officially opened yesterday (November 14) by transport minister Simon Burns.
Linking the important Felixstowe to Nuneaton freight route with the West Coast Main Line, without having to zig-zag across the throat of Nuneaton station means that not only are passenger services not disrupted, but that freight services can have a clear run without having to wait for a path across the busy junction.
The 0.9 mile chord is part of the Felixstowe route’s enhancement scheme which means, for the first time, trains using the high cube 9ft 6in containers can travel the length of the route and direct to the West Midlands and north-west England without going via north London.
Currently just two trains are scheduled to use the new chord every day, but this will increase significantly when the new timetable comes into operation from the end of this year.
GBRf’s managing director John Smith commented on the importance of enhancing railfreight infrastructure, saying that the first train, which happened to be a GBRf train from Felixstowe, to officially use the new line was carrying everything from “Your childrens’ Christmas toys to bottles of wine”.