Port Salford is a freight terminal currently under construction on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Barton-upon-Irwell in Greater Manchester, approximately six miles from Central Manchester. The port is part of the Atlantic Gateway project and is being led by Peel Ports, a subsidiary of The Peel Group.
The port will cost £400 million to construct[1] with the transportation of goods from the terminal to be mainly distributed via rail, of which 18 freight trains will be needed every 24 hours to handle the volume of goods.[1]
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Port Salford will be based on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, the only ship canal in the United Kingdom and the eight longest in the world.[1] The canal connects Manchester, a national city of cultural and economic significance to the Irish Sea. The Ship Canal was completed in 1894 and designed to give Manchester unhindered access to the sea. At its peak in the 1960s, the Manchester Docks were the third busiest in the United Kingdom.[2]
The Port will be located near key sites for distribution of goods such as Manchester and Trafford Park. Construction tenders were handed out in March 2011[3] and it is envisaged building of the Port will begin in 2011.[4]