Over an Easter possession, strategic infrastructure developers SEGRO connected up their dramatic Logistics Park Northampton, enabling freight trains to access the site ahead of the launch of regular services later in the year. Meanwhile Northampton town was dealing with its own dramatic derailment.
Trains can now sweep through the dramatic tunnel entrance to the rail terminal on the edge of the SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, just outside the village of Roade. However, nothing will be sweeping through the sidings at the Northampton station, where a less planned derailment did the opposite of opening up new infrastructure.
Critical elements delivered
It’s full steam ahead of schedule at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton, where the new 35-acre rail freight terminal has been completed and connected to the national network. Meanwhile the gods of rail were proving less benevolent at the established sidings adjacent to the town’s station, where regular aggregates workings were halted as a rake of box wagons prematurely dumped themselves off the rails. The wagons should be recoverable, the tracks maybe less so.
Following a 54-hour Easter rail possession, SEGRO, working with contractor Winvic and Network Rail, successfully delivered all critical elements of their Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI), including commissioning main line connections and the new signalling. Freight services, to be operated by Maritime Transport, are expected to commence later this year (see our earlier video report here).
A greener supply chain
The Northampton terminal, part of a wider £200 million infrastructure investment by SEGRO, directly links to the West Coast Main Line via the Northampton Loop. It is central to a vast multi-modal logistics hub adjacent to Junction 15 of the M1 motorway. The development is forecast to create around 7,500 jobs, while delivering significant environmental enhancements built into the scheme.
“There’s real momentum building at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton,” said Kate Bedson, Senior Director, National Markets at SEGRO. “With rail freight contributing £1.7 billion (€1.99bn) to the economy, this milestone gives a boost to sustainable growth and a greener supply chain.”
Downtown derailment damage
Already a major player in UK and European logistics, SEGRO owns and manages over 10.3 million square metres of warehouse and industrial space, valued at £20.3 billion. Its East Midlands Gateway development near Castle Donington, also featuring a busy intermodal terminal operated by Maritime Transport, has set a benchmark for integrated road-rail logistics operations. That five-year-old rail facility was doubled in size in a phased opening just two years ago.
However, not everything on the rails around Northampton has run to plan. A correspondent confirmed that a rake of MWA-B designated box wagons derailed in sidings adjacent to Northampton station in the same week as the opening at the logistics park. The wagons — built around five years ago using recovered and recycled components — came off the rails while traversing pointwork leading into the aggregates sidings.
The derailment caused significant damage to the track infrastructure in the yard area. However, the main line itself remained clear and unaffected, avoiding wider disruption to freight and passenger services through the Northampton loop of the West Coast Main Line. Investigations are underway, but early indications suggest significant damage to the rail infrastructure.
