Proposal to Electrify Felixstowe Line

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has included the Ipswich to Felixstowe line on a list of stategic routes it would like to see electrified. The line sees an hourly passenger service and it is the only rail route to and from the Port Of Felixstowe. Electrification would allow freight traffic from London to use electric traction on the entire journey.

ATOC says electificiation will help increase capacity and reduce CO2 emissions. They propose a rolling programme which would see 10 routes consisting of 400 route miles electrified yearly between now and 2024; smaller projects could be completed much sooner.

A separate project to dual a 4.25 mile section of the line, which is mainly single track, was given the go ahead in 2008. The dual section between Trimley station and Nacton will allow freight traffic to increase from 26 to 40 trains per day.

Newly unveiled plans call for the contruction of a viaduct near Hadleigh Road. The scheme would allow diesel freight trains to travel from Felixstowe to the Midlands avoiding both Ipswich and the route via London.