Date: 30/03/2014

A new £59m railway giving the Port of Felixstowe a direct link to the Midlands is opening to freight. Until now freight trains have had to travel in to Ipswich and then out again, adding a hour to journeys. The new 'Ipswich Chord', which is 0.75 miles (1.2km) long, connects the East Suffolk Line with the Great Eastern Main Line to Nuneaton. [With thanks to all who submitted this item]

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New £59m rail link opens to freight

BBC News

A rail link giving freight from Felixstowe a direct link to the Midlands is opening.

Related images

So it's really happening. £26M of Nuneaton North chord will emerge from the bare earth here over the next nine months. The new link will enable cross country freight traffic approaching Nuneaton from the east (in particular container trains from Felixstowe) to join the down WCML without having to cross the up main line on the level to the south of Nuneaton station, as at present. Traffic on the cross country route will increase following inauguration of the Ipswich chord which will enable trains from Felixstowe for destinations north of Nuneaton to avoid using the heavily congested North London Line to reach the WCML [see image 5098]. View is north east on 22 October 2011, with the WCML in the background.
Location: Nuneaton North Chord
Company: Nuneaton North Chord (Network Rail)
22/10/2011 Ken Strachan

A Trafford Park - Felixstowe container train arrives at Camden Road Junction on 21 July 2005 behind Freightliner 90016. The train is coming off the direct freight-only link from the WCML at Primrose Hill Tunnel [see image 53461] as opposed to the 'branch' via Gospel Oak used by class 313 units operating the NLL passenger services at that time.
Location: Camden Road
Company: East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway
21/07/2005 John Furnevel

A train of Class 37s is seen shortly after passing through the former Felixstowe Beach station running towards the junction near Felixstowe. From there, the locomotives will head to Ipswich for servicing [see image 34707]. At the time, in April 1984, the heavy freightliner trains to the container port at Felixstowe were double-headed and this peculiar working helped ease the congestion on the line before the loop to Trimley was built.
Location: Felixstowe Beach
Company: Felixstowe Railway and Pier
14/04/1984 Mark Dufton