Creation of Mossend International Railfreight Park will reduce transport costs, alleviate congestion, bring jobs and help the environment, writes Bob Serafini

One of the most important and exciting new infrastructure projects in Scotland, capable of transforming our current logistics system by creating more opportunities for railfreight, is under way in Lanarkshire.
A major expansion of established transport company Peter D Stirling’s existing rail terminal, which already handles 10 trains a week, will see a £25m first phase investment and the creation of round the clock, state of the art intermodal facilities by 2020.

The launch of Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) – attended by four of the five top rail freight operating companies as well as current and future users of the service – was also hailed by Scottish Government cabinet secretary for economy and jobs, Keith Brown, as a key part of the country’s ambitious plans for the future of this sector. Critical elements of the consented scheme include the proposed 775m of longer sidings, capable of taking longer international standard trains, a move that will make all the difference in terms of economies 
of scale.

Two of the latest £7m European engineered autonomous cranes are being ordered to increase the speed at which container boxes are moved on and off rail, with up to 2.2 million sq ft of pension fund financed onsite storage, distribution, service and logistics facilities. None of the warehouses will be speculatively built, rather they will be purpose-built for supermarket, consumer goods or manufacturing distribution companies.

Another vital part of the scheme is that, with considerable foresight, Transport Scotland had the vision, in the recent upgrading of the M8, to make provision for a bridge from the MIRP directly across the motorway and onto the A8 access link. PDS and partnering I D Meiklam Trust own the land between the terminal and the motorway, through which a 
private connection road will be constructed.

Significant freight already uses the railhead, which connects to the west coast mainline and handles goods such as bricks, construction material and cement. But MIRP would represent a game changer in the rail logistics business.

A look at the statistics shows that, aside from the cost saving of rail, there is a huge benefit to the environment from this kind of shift. Andrew Stirling, one of the fourth generation of the family involved in the transport industry, said the number of 44 tonne trucks passing down the M74 was around 8,400 per 24 hours, with the other main route to England, the east coast A1 clocking up 3,500.

 His studies show that his forward thinking customer Hanson, part of the Heidelberg cement group, has saved 11 million tonnes of CO2 in the last 10 years by moving 1.4 million tonnes of cement into Scotland by rail.
It is not as simple as that, of course, with network capacity currently an issue, but introduction of longer trains, pulled by new electric locomotives rather than diesel, will make a big difference. Work is also being done to crack the enigma of ensuring boxes are full when running both north and south.

For Stirling, though, it is not a battle to force heavy goods vehicles off the road, and rather than stealing business he talks of an “honest broker” role, allowing the hauliers to come with them on this journey, alongside the rail companies, and work out of the new facilities and regional distribution centres being established. “We can all be partners in this, along with the tenants,” he said. “It can make sense for everyone to get a share of this.”

Projections suggest that, as well as 2,200 jobs in the construction phase, MIRP could deliver full time employment for 2,700 people.

Needless to say, the move has not been universally popular with people that live locally, but PDS are clear that the community will benefit from shifting road access from the present built-up Reema Road entrance to a northern route over private land towards the motorway. 

There is also a first phase environmental commitment to retain 50 acres of managed green network open space facilities.

Andrew’s brother David Stirling said: “The launch is a significant milestone for low carbon logistics in the UK, creating more opportunities for railfreight, both into and out of the very heart of Scotland. 

“We will continue to work closely with North Lanarkshire Council, our local communities and the Scottish Government to ensure we deliver a truly modern strategic rail facility in central Scotland, which connects the country to the UK and Europe.

“This project will also transform the local community in Lanarkshire, bringing jobs, local investment and a sustainable green legacy for Bellshill by incorporating a network of community greenspace. Crucially, this will help Scotland lead the world in providing a lower cost, efficient and more sustainable alternative to long haul road transport.”

Minister Keith Brown said the Scottish Government were committing record levels of investment in rail as part of a £5 billion package of transformative improvements to infrastructure and services in Scotland’s railways, running up until 2019.

A detailed timeline is in place to deliver each of the key steps MIRP needs to take – including finalising road and rail access, detailed planning consents, and site platforming for the new warehouses – so that the expanded site can be operational by 2020. 

In the meantime it will continue to operate as many trains as possible in an increasingly efficient manner.