access to the port of liverpool study non-technical summary · the port of liverpool is one of the...

Access to the Port of Liverpool Study – Non-Technical Summary

Access to the Port of Liverpool Study

November 2011

Non-TechnicalSummary

Study undertaken by On behalf of

WSP Department for Transport

MDST Highways Agency

ekosgen NWDA

Sefton Council

Liverpool City Council

Merseytravel

Peel Ports

The Port of Liverpool is one of the UK’s majorinternational gateways. It is the fifth busiestEnglish port by tonnes of cargo (30m tonnes in2009), the UK’s fourth ranked container port andthe leading port for container trade with Ireland. Adiverse but balanced range of goods andcommodities are handled at the port. The portalso makes a significant contribution to theMerseyside economy and is a vital source ofemployment for the local community. Theseaspects emphasise the importance of efforts tosecure the long term potential of the port.

There are already plans in place to develop a Post-Panamax container terminal at the port whichwould allow the largest container ships to callat the port. In June 2011 Peel Ports published theMersey Ports Master Plan, A 20 Year Strategyfor Growth, for the Port of Liverpool and theManchester Ship Canal. This consultationdocument presents further details of the plans forinvestment in port facilities and supportingresources. The introduction of distributionwarehousing at the port, as identified in theMaster Plan, has further potential to increase portrelated traffic.

However, a significant constraint to thedevelopment of the Port of Liverpool is trafficcongestion in the local area, and the associatedimpacts of this congestion on the operation andfuture growth of the port. There was therefore aclear need to investigate how access to the portcould be improved and establish the potential tominimise the transport of freight by road, throughthe development of a long term port accessstrategy.

WSP, MDS Transmodal and ekosgen, a team oftransport, freight, and economic specialists werecommissioned by the North West regional authority,4NW, and later Sefton Council to undertake adetailed study of access to the Port of Liverpool. Abroad spectrum of organisations have beeninvolved in the study from the outset includingMerseytravel, Liverpool City Council, NorthWest Development Agency, the HighwaysAgency and Peel Ports. These organisations

have been actively involved throughout the project,informing and steering the study from inception toconclusion. The study team has also regularlyengaged with a broad range of other stakeholders.

The Study Area

The Access to the Port of Liverpool Study hasprimarily focused on the Liverpool Docks area,shown in Figure 1. This area includes the SeaforthDock and container terminal in the north of the portestate and the docks to the south of this point, upto and including the Sandon Half Tide Dock.

FIGURE 1: LIVERPOOL DOCKS

The study has also considered the role of the widerMersey Ports area, including the Manchester ShipCanal, in developing the access strategy for theport. Figure 2 presents the wider area context.

Introduction


Access to the Port of Liverpool Study – 1

Seaforth ContainerTerminal

Grain Terminal

Steel Terminal

Coal Terminal

Langton Dock

Gladstone Dock

Alexandra Dock

Huskisson Dock

Canada Dock

Sandon HalfTide Dock

Existing Access Arrangements

Highways

The Seaforth Dock Gate at the western end of theA5036 is the main road access point to theLiverpool Docks. There are four main routes to/fromthe Port, namely:

1. A5036 – Princess Way/Church Road/DunningsBridge Road to/from the M57/M58/M62;

2. A5058 – Miller’s Bridge/Balliol Road/Breeze Hill/Queens Drive to/from the M62;

3. A580 – East Lancs Road to/from the M57/M62;and

4. A565 – Rimrose Road/Derby Road to/fromLiverpool City Centre/south Liverpool/M62.

The main access route to the port, carrying aroundtwo thirds of port traffic, is the A5036.

Construction of a new highway link betweenThornton and Switch Island is proposed to start inthe autumn/winter of 2012. Transport modelling insupport of the planning of this road concluded thatthe new link was likely to modestly improve trafficconditions on the A5036, mainly at the SwitchIsland end.

Rail

The Liverpool Docks are connected by the BootleBranch rail line and have the following rail-connected facilities:

n Intermodal rail freight terminal (Seaforth Dock);

FIGURE 2: PORT OF LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL

(Source: Mersey Ports Master Plan, June 2011)


2 – Access to the Port of Liverpool Study

Eastham LocksEastham Locks

EllesmereEllesmerePort DocksPort Docks

Port Port WirralWirral

PortPortBridgewaterBridgewater

PortBridgewater

Stanlow Stanlow TerminalTerminal

Port IncePort Ince

RuncornRuncornDocksDocks

IrlamIrlamContainerContainerTerminalTerminal

PartingtonPartingtonBasinBasin

PortPortWarringtonWarrington

Port Port SalfordSalford

Salford Salford QuaysQuays

Eastham Locks

SeaforthSeaforthRiverRiver

TerminalTerminal

SeaforthRiver

Terminal

EllesmerePort Docks

Port Wirral

Stanlow Terminal

Port Ince

RuncornDocks

IrlamContainerTerminal

PartingtonBasin

PortWarrington

Port Salford

Salford Quays

YSIDEYSMERSEYSMEMERSEYSIDEYSYS

n Coal (E.ON, Gladstone Dock);

n Steel (Gladstone Dock);

n Paper (between Gladstone and AlexandraDocks); and

n Steel scrap (EMR, Alexandra Dock)

Mainline access to the Bootle Branch line is via theChat Moss Mainline that runs between Liverpooland Manchester. This line connects to the WestCoast Main Line at Earlestown / Newton-le-Willows.

There is also a disused branch line that connects tothe Canada Dock.

Waterways

Three different kinds of waterborne freight arerelevant to this study:

1. Barge services between Liverpool Docks andfacilities along the Manchester Ship Canal(MSC). Barge services currently operate alongthe MSC, in particular between Seaforth andIrlam. The plans identified in the PortMaster Plan for Port Warrington and PortSalford could see greater use of bargeservices along the MSC.

2. Coastal shipping services between LiverpoolDocks and the rest of Great Britain. These areservices carrying containers or other freightbetween the port and other GB regions andIreland where there are suitable port facilitiesand major population/industrial centres toensure that there is a an economically viableamount of traffic, such as with the Clyde,Belfast and Dublin.

3. Short sea shipping services between LiverpoolDocks and the rest of Europe apart from

Ireland. These are services carrying containersbetween the port and other parts of Europesuch as Iberia and the Mediterranean.

Greater use of the waterways would reduce thenumber of trucks on the highway network.

Other Modes of Transport

Walking, cycling and public transport are importantmodes of travel to work and are generally wellprovided for in the area surrounding the port.However, the large amount of traffic on the highwaynetwork, the high proportion of HGVs and bothperceived and real security and safety issues limittheir potential for employees working in the port.

The remainder of this document summarises the keyfindings and conclusions of the Port Access Study.

The Findings of the StudyFour key questions formed the basis of the studyprocess:

i. How is the port forecast to grow in the future?

ii. What are the implications of this growth for thelocal transport network?

iii. What potential is there to transfer port relatedtraffic to rail, water and other transport modes?

iv. What are the transport access options toaccommodate this growth?

i. How is the port forecast to grow in the future?

Increased activity is expected at the port in thefuture. This will include:

n Growth in the quantity of freight being handledat the port; and

n Growth in employment at the port.

Freight Growth

The major area of growth in existing port trafficis forecast to be in containers and roll-on roll-off (RoRo) freight units (unitised freight).Relatively slower growth is forecast for most othercommodity types (non-unitised freight), see Figures3 and 4.



Other developments at the port would attract newsources of activity. There are a number ofsources of port traffic in addition to those currentlyhandled which have been considered in reachingconclusions for this study. The main one is thedevelopment of large warehouses within theexisting and potentially expanded port estate,termed port centric distribution. This studyassumes that 200,000 sq.m of distribution centreswill be located at Liverpool Docks. While thewarehousing generates additional HGV traffic onthe local road network, it provides critical mass forthe development of additional rail freight, deep seacontainer and Irish Sea RoRo services. Significantemployment opportunities are also expected as aresult, potentially generating up to approximately1500 jobs.

The forecast growth would createsignificant changes in the way thatgoods are carried to, and distributedfrom the port. New facilities and servicesincluding a new road/rail freight terminalassociated with the port centric distributiondevelopment and barge services along theManchester Ship Canal are expected toincrease the amount of goods transportedby more sustainable modes of transport.The port based developments will enhancethe national importance of the port andtherefore change the transport of port trafficfrom a regional to a more nationaldistribution, increasing freight transportdistances and making rail and watertransport more economically viable.

Employment Growth

Port employment data highlights that approximately85% of employees working at the port live inMerseyside. Within Merseyside there is a clearfocus of employee origins in the vicinity of the portwith the Sefton and Liverpool districts being hometo approximately two thirds of port employees. Keyresidential areas include Waterloo, Seaforth,Litherland, Orrell Park, Walton, Everton, Anfield andWavertree.

The potential economic benefits resulting fromimproved accessibility to the Port of Liverpool, inparticular the employment benefits to Merseyside,could be significant.

It has been estimated that the portgrowth and developments within the portcomplex and delivered through theMersey Ports Masterplan have thepotential to support approximately 6,000new jobs. Whilst none of the planneddevelopments within the port complexand the associated employment impactsare solely dependent on the transportinterventions, each package of transportinterventions delivered as part of theaccess strategy for the port will influenceeconomic activity and job creation at theport.

In addition to the employment createdthrough the Port Masterplan, additional



0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

2008

2020

2030

Mil

lion

Un

its

Containers RoRo freight units

RoRo passenger cars

Cruise passenger cars

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

2008

2020

2030

Mil

lion

Ton

ne

s

Coal Agricultural products

Scrap metalAggregates & Construction Other liquid bulks

SteelForest products General cargo

FIGURE 4: SUMMARY FORECAST OF NON-UNITISED FREIGHT

FIGURE 3: SUMMARY FORECAST OF UNITISED FREIGHT

jobs will be created through the construction of newtransport infrastructure, further benefiting theLiverpool and Sefton economies.

Delivery of the transport interventions will alsosupport the economic regeneration of Liverpool andSefton, tackling the high levels of deprivation withinthese areas. The transport interventions will help tomake Merseyside and the Liverpool City Regionmore productive and better able to compete withother areas in the UK.

ii. What are the implications ofthis growth for the localtransport network?

Increasing highway congestion is currentlyaffecting journey time reliability and freighttransport costs, particularly in south Sefton/northLiverpool, the “Area of Pressure”, see Figure 5. Theroad network within this area of pressure performsa range of different functions.In particular:

n It is a local network serving local communities;

n The highways are important to supportingregeneration. The aim of the NWDA’s Atlantic Gateway initiative was to promoteeconomic regeneration at the port and at key development sites situated adjacent to the main transport corridors in the area, which is primarily the A5036 Dunnings Bridge Road;

n The roads are used by vehicles travelling toand from Liverpool City Centre; and

n The roads are part of a strategic networkproviding national routes to the Port ofLiverpool.

Furthermore, economic growth can lead toincreasing demand for transport, with higherlevels of people and freight movementsacross all modes of travel.

The increase in Port related traffic (see belowfor further details), the underlying trend of trafficgrowth and other new development traffic willincrease pressure on a highway network thatis already at capacity during peak travel times.Without investment in highway infrastructure ofsome form, there is unlikely to be an improvementto the situation or the level of forecast investmentat the port.

As the highways are fulfilling a number of roles thestudy aimed to identify a package of measuresthat will support the growth of the Port whilstminimising the impact on the surrounding area.

Currently there is spare capacity on the railnetwork that can meet the needs of the port in the immediate future. The main constraint tothe further development of intermodal rail freightservices is the current rail terminal capacity within the port itself. In addition, the availability and suitability of rail facilities at thedestination/origin end will influence rail freight

use, in particular intermodalroad/rail terminals in the Midlands and South East.

The Manchester Ship Canalhas potential for greater use.The introduction of freightfacilities, in particular at PortWarrington and Salford, isexpected to generate greater useof this inland waterway. Althoughthese sustainable freight modescan play a key role in the short /medium term, a longer termhighway solution is still forecast tobe required.

Area of Pressure

PortPortAreaAreaPortArea

CityCentre

M53

M62

M58

M57Dunnings Brid

ge Road

East Lancs Road



FIGURE 5: AREA OF PRESSURE

iii.What potential is there totransfer port related traffic torail, water and other transport?

The way goods are transported to and from theport today and how that could change as the portcontinues to grow was assessed. This includedidentifying the proportion of freight that would betransported by road, and the more sustainabledistribution options of rail, barge and coastalshipping.

FIGURE 6: PROPORTION OF FREIGHTTRANSPORTED BY DIFFERENT MODES –EXISTING SITUATION

* Unitised Freight Only

FIGURE 7: PROPORTION OF FREIGHTTRANSPORTED BY DIFFERENT MODES –FORECAST 2030 SITUATION


The study highlights (see Figures 6 and 7) thatthere is significant potential for a shift towards moresustainable distribution of goods from the Port of

Liverpool. The proportion of freight transportedby sustainable distribution options (rail, bargeand coastal shipping) is forecast to increasefrom its current level of 2% to 16% by 2030.Rail freight is forecast to have a more significantrole with 11% of port traffic being transported bythis mode.

Despite the high levels of shift from road freight tosustainable freight transport, with the growth of theport, there is forecast to be a significant increase inHGVs accessing the port by 2030. Currently, anaverage of about 350 HGVs enter or leave the portevery hour. By 2030, this could increase to about800 HGVs or more. Table 1 below summarises theforecast increase in volumes of HGVs by 2030 withand without investment in sustainable freightinfrastructure. This highlights the significantincrease in HGV traffic that is forecast.

TABLE 1: 2030 FORECAST INCREASES IN HGVS

Forecast Average

Hourly Increase in HGVs*

No investment in sustainable freight infrastructure 500

With investment in sustainable freight infrastructure 430


The shift to sustainable modes of transport will alsogenerate significant benefits. In particular, journeytime savings through decongestion and carbonreduction benefits are forecast. Analysis of theenvironmental benefits highlights that whilst thetotal amount of carbon emitted by the Port ofLiverpool increases with its forecast growth, thecarbon generated per container reducessignificantly by approximately 20% between 2008and 2030 levels.

iv. What are the transport accessoptions to accommodate thisgrowth?

A “long list” of all potential options for improvingaccess to the port were considered. The list ofoptions primarily included water-borne and rail



freight facilities, local sustainable transportsolutions, measures to co-ordinate/consolidateroad freight, traffic management and highwaycapacity interventions. A sifting exercise was thenundertaken to identify the options with the greatestpotential for satisfying the objectives of the study.

In line with the objective to maximise the movementof freight traffic from the port by sustainable modes(i.e. rail, inland waterways, short sea shipping andco-ordinated/consolidated road freight), packagesof schemes were developed, firstly fromsustainable transport interventions, followed byhighway interventions. Furthermore, the highwayschemes were considered in the following order:

1. better management of the existing situation;

2. local improvements; and

3. new highway capacity.

Four packages of measures were formulatedbased upon this approach:

n Package 1 – Maximum investment in a range ofsustainable transport Interventions (see Table 2);

n Package 2 – Includes the (Package 1)sustainable transport interventions along withtargeted highway interventions on the A5036corridor;

n Package 3 – Includes the (Package 1)sustainable transport interventions along withmore extensive highway interventions, includingwidening on the A5036 corridor; and

n Package 4 – Includes the (Package 1)sustainable transport interventions along with anew Port Access Link, accompanied withenvironmental enhancements to the A5036between Netherton Way and the HawthorneRoad junctions. The enhancements includelandscaping and street works as well asintroducing a 30mph speed limit and HGVban/restriction on the section betweenNetherton Way and Hawthorne Road.

The appraisal of the packages has beenundertaken at a strategic level in line withDepartment for Transport guidance. A strategicappraisal was considered appropriate given thestage of the project and in recognition of thestudy’s relatively high-level objectives. A furtherdetailed appraisal of the highway improvementpackages will be required to further developand refine the proposals.

The appraisal exercise concludes that acombined package of sustainable transportinterventions and highway measures deliveredover the period up to 2030 will derive thegreatest benefits.



TABLE 2: PACKAGE 1 INTERVENTIONS

Improve loading gauge clearance to W12 for pallet-wide containers from Port to WCML

Re-instate rail connection to Canada Dock from existing inland connection

Develop rail connection to Canada Dock by extending existing port rail network southwards

Increasing capacity of existing intermodal terminal to accommodate longer trains and additional sidings

Doubling rail access line on port estate

Signalling improvements on Bootle Branch Line to increase capacity for the long term

Assist in creating commercial conditions for daily barge service to Port Salford via Port Ince and Port Warrington

Assist in creating commercial conditions for increased coastal shipping

Develop rail shuttle service to/from port (for all non-Merseyside container traffic) to/from inland port on outskirts of Merseyside (e.g. Port Warrington?)

Rail connection to the Post Panamax Terminal

Travel Planning Measures/Toolkit

HGV parking/holding area/Park & Ride

Enhanced signage – including VMS on key approach routes

Environmental measures eg: noise barriers, enforced Air Quality Management Zones

Contribution to Passenger Transport, Walking and Cycling Enhancements

Measures to reduce delay to traffic from the opening of the swing bridges in Warrington



Delivery Strategyand TimescalesThe delivery strategy and associated timescales forthe access interventions is summarised in Figure 8.

The study highlights that traffic congestion is acurrent problem for vehicles travelling to and fromthe port and for other traffic on the surroundinghighway network. Therefore, firstly measures needto be introduced to secure a shift of some of thetraffic (particularly container traffic) from road to railand waterborne freight. Secondly, there should beinvestment to improve local sustainable transport tobenefit existing and future port employees andthose living and working in the North Liverpool andSouth Sefton area. In the period up to 2020sustainable freight and local sustainable transportmeasures are expected to be sufficient toaccommodate growth in traffic to and fromLiverpool Docks, as well as background andplanned growth in other traffic.

The traffic assessment carried out for this studysuggests that by 2020 the A5036 and othersections of the local highway network are likely to

have reached their “tipping point”. This means thatcongestion is a serious problem that is reducingthe attractiveness of the port and causing aproblem for the local area. This is due to:

1. the underlying trend of traffic growth;

2. other new development traffic; and

3. the increase in Port related traffic.

Therefore, from 2020 onwards, additional measuresrelated to the local highway network are more likelyto be required. Whether the highway interventionsare taken from Package 2, 3 or 4 will be dependenton further in depth modelling and analysis. Road-based interventions after 2020 would have thebenefit of accommodating greater growth of theport and port-based distribution, which would bringsignificant employment opportunities, whileavoiding increasing levels of congestion andenvironmental pollution.

The highway interventions will form part of anoverall strategy for managing the transport network,which will be developed in partnership between theHighways Agency, Sefton Council and other keystakeholders.

Targeted highways solutions

Local sustainable transport measures

2011 20302020

Significant highway interventions

Sustainable freight interventions

FIGURE 8: DELIVERY STRATEGY & TIMESCALES



Next stepsA series of key recommendations has been madeto build on the work undertaken for the study.These are:

1. Detailed planning for the development of aFunding and Implementation Strategy, inparticular for the local sustainable transportmeasures and sustainable freight interventions(Package 1), to be taken forward throughpartnership working between Peel Ports,Department for Transport, Network Rail, SeftonCouncil, Liverpool City Council, Merseytraveland in consultation with the Highways Agency.

2. A working group to be established that meetson a regular basis to continue driving thefindings of this study forward.

3. Ongoing engagement with other keystakeholders to be continued.

4. A request to be made to the Department forTransport to provide the Highways Agency witha remit to investigate the feasibility of a majorinfrastructure improvement to the trunk roadnetwork around the North Liverpool Docks, witha view to implementing a preferred solutionpost 2020.

5. A more detailed modelling and appraisalexercise to be undertaken at the appropriatestage in developing the package of highwayinterventions.


Further Information

If you require any more detailed information on the study please contact:

www.sefton.gov.uk/APLStudy

Strategic Transportation Planning UnitSefton CouncilMagdalen House30 Trinity RoadBootle L20 3NJ

Email: [email protected]

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