Mossend rail freight expansion approved

The Phase 1 plans for Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) have been unanimously approved by North Lanarkshire Council’s Planning Committee, providing a major boost to Scotland’s international rail freight potential. 

MIRP represents a major new multi-modal rail freight facility located in the heart of Scotland, just east of Glasgow, and will provide 200,00sqm (2.2 million sq ft) of logistics space and Scotland’s first 775-metre electric rail terminal, accommodating 16 trains per day as part of a 24/7 operation. The Phase 1 application covers the detailed proposals and layout of the Railfreight Terminal including cross-docking transit building, secondary buildings, plus electric automated overhead gantry cranes (RMG) and associated infrastructure. 

The new MIRP Railfreight Terminal development constitutes Scotland’s newest Strategic Railfreight Interchange, comprising the new Railfreight Terminal and Railfreight Park plus a new A8 road access link road – marking a major expansion and development of the already established rail logistics operation at Mossend in Lanarkshire, Scotland.

David Stirling, Director of Mossend International Railfreight Park operator Peter D Stirling Ltd, said: “The MIRP Phase 1 planning approval is a major milestone in advancing the Mossend International Railfreight Park and providing a modern multi-modal logistics solution for businesses based locally as well as across the UK and Europe. The development as a whole involves £260 million of investment over a number of phases and provides some 200,000 sqm of low-carbon, distribution, logistics and manufacturing space.”

Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) will be Scotland’s largest international multi-modal rail freight park and will expand the already established rail logistics operation at Mossend in Lanarkshire, Scotland – providing a further 200,000 sqm of low carbon, 24/7 distribution, logistics and manufacturing space.

Alongside the state-of-the-art, all-electric railhead, which includes eight new 775-metre international standard railway sidings and two fully autonomous rail-mounted gantry (RMG) cranes, there will be space for warehousing, container storage and HGV parking. The terminal will be able to handle up to 16 electric freight trains per day and transfer over 16 million tonnes of goods per annum.

One of the UK’s most advanced inland dry ports, MIRP is located alongside a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) in the heart of Scotland’s central belt. It links North Lanarkshire to the UK’s premier seaports and the Channel Tunnel via world-class road and rail transport connections, with an estimated 77% of the Scottish population living within 80km of the site.