An 8 million sq ft extension of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (Dirft) has been given approval by the Secretary of State. Dirft III will have the capacity for up to 32 freight trains in and out of the site each day, handling more than 500,000 freight containers a year.
Strategically located next to the M1 motorway and the West Coast main line, DIRFT III is the first Strategic Rail Freight Interchange to secure a Development Consent Order (DCO) in line with the Planning Act 2008 and is the largest rail-linked logistics development in the UK.
The first buildings of the £1 billion project are expected to be ready by 2016 – once complete, the facility will employ around 9,000 people.
Andrew Griffiths, managing director of Prologis UK, said: “Logistics plays a vital role in the UK economy, underpinning the success of many other sectors from retail and e-commerce to manufacturing.