Just 2% of containers move by rail

Only about 2% of containerised freight at the Port of Liverpool currently travels by rail, according to a study by infrastructure campaign group Greengauge 21 — a share the report's authors describe as far below the levels achieved at comparable UK ports and one that leaves substantial headroom for growth as Peel Ports expands the site's container handling capacity.

The study lands against a backdrop of heavy spending by the port's owner. Peel Ports has committed £400 million to Liverpool2, a deep-water container terminal built to unload two 380-metre vessels simultaneously. A further £100 million is earmarked for the steel and metal sector, including a 140,000-square-foot storage facility. With those volumes set to rise, Greengauge 21 argues that an automated, electrically powered rail hub at the port would relieve pressure on local roads while opening new long-distance freight corridors into northern England and Scotland.

What does the ruling change?

The report does not carry regulatory force. It sets out a case for capital investment in the existing national network rather than for fresh construction, and frames rail as the lower-impact alternative to a road-based access scheme.

Why is Manchester the bottleneck?

Greengauge 21 Director Jim Steer identifies the Manchester rail network as the binding constraint. He told the report's authors that "the Manchester rail network is a bottleneck which isn't addressed by the Trans Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU), nor — as far as rail freight is concerned — by schemes such as Stage 2 of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), the proposed new Liverpool-Manchester rail link."

The absence of a plan to secure train paths for east-west freight through Manchester leaves the port's potential catchment effectively pinched at the city, regardless of how much capacity Peel Ports builds on the Mersey.

Where could the new routes run?

The study recommends a route via Blackburn that would split Liverpool port traffic in two directions:

• North onto the Settle & Carlisle line, bypassing the West Coast Main Line for flows between the port and Scotland.
• East onto the Calder Valley Line, linking the port to the rail freight and logistics terminals clustered in Yorkshire, the Humber and the North East.

Steer described the work as "targeted investment in the existing rail network" and estimated the package "could be capable of delivery within a 5-10 year period." He framed the proposal around reuse rather than new-build: "The key concept is using a route via Blackburn both to access the Settle & Carlisle line — avoiding the busy West Coast Main Line for freight flows between the port and Scotland — and to access the Calder Valley Line which effectively links the port with the key rail freight/logistics terminals in Yorkshire/Humber & the North East."

What catchment does that open up?

Greengauge 21 says the combined Settle & Carlisle and Calder Valley routing would generate a freight catchment stretching across northern England and into Scotland, reaching intermodal terminals that today handle container traffic from Felixstowe, Southampton and the East Midlands.

How does this compare with road?

The study does not publish a full cost comparison, but argues that rail offers an automated, electrically powered option at a single port interchange, while additional road haulage would add to congestion on the Merseyside network that already serves the existing terminal estate. Whether the business case holds depends on volumes: Liverpool2 is sized for the largest box ships calling Europe, but rail's share will remain marginal unless train paths through Manchester are secured.

What happens next?

Greengauge 21 will publish the full report on its website. Any movement on the Blackburn-based routing now depends on Network Rail, the Department for Transport and Transport for the North weighing the proposal against the live Trans Pennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail programmes. The 5–10 year delivery window Steer cites points to the late 2020s or early 2030s for any first flows, assuming funding is identified in the next rail funding cycle.