6th November 2002

As part of its ongoing commitment to developing alternative means of carriage for freight, the Port of Felixstowe (PFL) has welcomed the announcement by English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) of the start of a new rail service from Felixstowe.

The new service has commenced from Felixstowe on 4th November. EWS will initially operate five trains per week from the Port to Widnes for a number of customers, carrying 9ft. 6" high cube containers. An additional daily service will be launched from the Port in January next year.

Richard Pearson, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited, owners of the Port of Felixstowe, commented:

"We are delighted that EWS has chosen the Port of Felixstowe for its new rail service. This is excellent news for our customers, who now have an even greater range of rail options through the Port."

Mr. Pearson continued:

"We are committed to helping meet the Government's target to increase rail freight by 80% by 2010. This new rail service will significantly increase the volume of containers being transported to and from Felixstowe on the rail, and will thereby further reduce the number of lorries on UK roads. This is something that we would all like to see."

Note to Editors:

Port of Felixstowe (PFL) is the largest container port in the UK and the fourth largest in Europe. PFL is a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, the world's leading port investor, developer and operator with interests in 15 countries throughout Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Today, HPH operates a total of 30 ports together with a number of transportation related service companies.

For further information, please contact Paul Davey, Corporate Affairs Manager, on Tel No: 44-1394 604987, Fax No: 44-1394 604943 or e-mail: daveyps@hpuk.co.uk