TRAINS more than 660m long are now a daily sight in the port, as Southampton’s vehicle export business booms.

The longest trains the port infrastructure can accommodate, each can carry as many as 320 BMW Minis from Oxford for export to the world from Southampton.

Each day five trains arrive in the port carrying UK-built Jaguars, Land Rovers, and Minis for shipping to the United States and other markets.

The car business has grown from 650,000 to 750,000 vehicles this year, reclaiming for Southampton the title of UK’s number one vehiclehandling port. As a result, port operator ABP is now constructing its fifth multi-deck vehicle handling facility in the eastern docks.

The possibility of increasing the number of train services to seven each day in 2014 is actively under consideration.

ABP port operations and security manager Andy Owens said: “The longer the train the more economical it is, but the lengths of the trains are defined by the signals and the junctions on the port network. They can’t be any longer or they would foul a junction.

“Because the trains are so big, we have to have a special agreement that they get a clear run into the port.

“We have a special path cleared with signals across Chapel Road and Canute Road to stop the traffic. They take up half the Eastern Docks when they are in.”