Council promotes freight terminal plans

Companies are being encouraged to invest in a new rail freight terminal in Shropshire. Telford and Wrekin Council is currently promoting the Telford International Rail Freight Park project, which will be built next to the town's Hortonwood Industrial Estate. The terminal, which will be capable of handling all types of freight, as well as four freight trains a day, is expected to be completed by the spring of 2009.

A total of £8m is being put forward by the council, Advantage West Midlands, the European Regional Development Fund and English Partnerships to create the infrastructure. The plans involve reopening two-and-a-half miles of track from an existing spur off the main Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton line, which closed 17 years ago.

A spokesman for the council says: "This is an important project for the borough and will bring wider benefits for Shropshire and the West Midlands. Telford has a strong economic base and manufacturing logistics activities. This vital link will assist local companies to be competitive in both national and global markets."