Plans for a rail freight terminal at Acton Grange, next to the Manchester Ship Canal, have resurfaced 15 years after initial approval. The proposals, lodged with Warrington Council by the Manchester Ship Canal Company – controlled by Peel Ports – now include warehouse development alongside a reinstated rail link to the West Coast Main Line. The proposed investment is almost 350 million pounds (415 million euros).
Reporting in local media, the 40-acre site was acquired by Peel in 2007 to refurbish a redundant canal berth and reinstate a railway connection. The local civic administration, Warrington Council, approved the plans in 2010. However, only the berth works were carried out. The revived proposals would see the rail connection reintroduced, linking the port to the West Coast Main Line and boosting transport options. The canal berth would also be extended by 25 metres to accommodate larger vessels.
Warehouses to complement rail
The latest proposals include consent for two warehouses totalling around 160,000 square feet on a 13.4-acre portion of the site. This would support Peel Ports’ broader strategy of port-centric warehousing and logistics along the Manchester Ship Canal. While Peel Ports has not issued a formal statement on the current plans, its own information page for the canal emphasises the company’s multi-terminal approach, including Port Warrington as a strategic freight hub with planning permissions and warehousing potential. The plans bear a resemblance to their partially realised Port Salford project about 20 kilometres to the east.
If delivered, Port Warrington would significantly enhance north-west freight connectivity, combining canal, road, and rail links with terminal and warehousing facilities. The project aligns with Peel Ports’ long-standing strategy of using the Manchester Ship Canal to provide multi-modal logistics solutions, offering new opportunities for rail freight in the region.
Wider regional developments
Port Warrington sits within a broader pattern of Peel-associated activity in the Warrington area. Countryside has recently sought approval for 500 new homes at Peel Hall, part of a masterplan that could ultimately deliver 1,200 properties, and is part of the incentive to improve Liverpool to Manchester rail connections. It could also take some pressure off the Trafford Park site in Greater Manchester, which has been proposed for redevelopment as part of a new football stadium.
Elsewhere, the former rail-served coal-fired Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station (just west of Warrington) is being redeveloped by subsidiaries Peel NRE / Peel L&P (Peel Northwest Regeneration Enterprise and Peel Land and Property). Planning consent has been granted for the first phase of industrial and logistics space. Demolition plans have also been submitted for the remaining structures. Although managed under a different Peel arm, these developments could benefit from the port project and enhance regional industrial and logistics infrastructure. During its operational days, Fiddler’s Ferry received between six and eight coal trains daily.
