News - Railfreight
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Themes Ayr Station Hotel ScotRail Bunchrew Strathspey Railway [Preserved] ASLEF Strikes Rosyth Boxing Day South Ayrshire Council Storm Debi Glasgow District Subway Track defect Alstom Levenmouth Line Stonehaven
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Petroineos says it aims to turn the Grangemouth site into a fuels import terminal by spring 2025.
(Permalink) Grangemouth oil refinery Oil Railfreight |
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GB Railfreight (GBRf) opened new sidings on the north side of its Peterborough yard which will connect its newly opened £5.75 million Maintenance Hub to the national railway network.
The opening has been a culmination of three years of work between GBRf, Network Rail and railway contractors KGJ Price. Several new points have been installed, slewing the existing track to create five intermodal length sidings accessible from both north and south, as well as additional capacity for spare wagons. (Permalink) GB Railfreight Maintenance hub Peterborough Railfreight |
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Today, GB Railfreight (GBRf) announces a successful four-week test of an innovative new solution for monitoring wheel and brake issues. Developed in collaboration with Icomera, DG8 and SENSEi, this world-first system enables battery-powered sensors to remotely share status and out-of-tolerance alerts with drivers and operational control centres, whilst they perform vehicle pre-checks.
(Permalink) Brake monitoring GB Railfreight Railfreight |
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The Rail Freight Group has condemned the governments decision to truncate High Speed 2 in the West Midlands, describing it as the worst possible outcome for rail freight.
(Permalink) HS2 Railfreight |
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Plans to introduce a national rail freight growth target could be heavily undermined.
(Permalink) Railfreight |
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Debate over whether the number of passenger trains should be reduced, to provide more capacity for freight, has been accentuated by the pandemic.
(Permalink) Railfreight Timetable |
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The Scottish Government Reporter confirmed that the report is now in the possession of Ministers who are considering its findings.
(Permalink) Railfreight Ravenscraig |
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Network Rail has proposed the construction of an Aggregates Handling Office and Welfare Building at Kingmoor, Carlisle.
(Permalink) Kingmoor Aggregates Railfreight |
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Industry group Logistics UK has called for the rapid development of rail freight in Northern Ireland, building on a much-needed vision in the draft All-Island Strategic Rail Review expanding rail freight across the whole island of Ireland.
(Permalink) All-Island Strategic Rail Review Logistics UK Northern Ireland Railfreight |
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Monica Lennon has written formally to Scotland's Minister for Planning.
(Permalink) Railfreight Ravenscraig Ravenscraig Steel Works Russell Group  Ravenscraig Steel Works: Aerial shot of the obliterated site of the Ravenscraig Steelworks. |
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It may have been rescoped, but the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) remains at the heart of ambitions for Transport for the North. At its latest meeting, the body charged with transforming the infrastructure in the north of England reiterated its commitment to making the rail route the artery of the north.
(Permalink) Railfreight TransPennine |
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In its quarterly review, the Office of Rail and Road has revealed statistics highlighting the impact of the UKs economic position on freight rail usage and performance from January to March 2023. The data indicates a significant decrease in freight moved, dropping by seven per cent compared to the previous year.
(Permalink) Coal ORR Railfreight |
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19 June 2023, Birmingham Freightliner, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), was named Rail Freight Company of the Year at this years Multimodal Awards recognising excellence and best practise across the UK logistics industry. This is the eighth time that Freightliner has won this award and a fantastic achievement, especially as we were ...
(Permalink) Freightliner Railfreight |
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The proposals from the Russell Group were thrown out by North Lanarkshire Council in December last year.
(Permalink) North Lanarkshire Council Railfreight Ravenscraig Russell Group |
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Speaking at Unlocking Innovation - Rail Freight, an event held by the Railway Industry Association (RIA) in Doncaster on 22 February, Maggie Simpson, chief executive of the Rail Freight Group stressed the need for growing rail freight which benefits the UK economy by £2.5 billion each year.
(Permalink) Rail Freight Group Railfreight |
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A major rail infrastructure project has been temporarily put on hold with a councillor saying he hopes it is the end of the line for such an 'ill-advised' scheme. Oxfordshire Railfreight Ltd (ORL), the company behind the strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI) being built around junction 10 of the M40, near Bicester, have decided to pause work on the project to allow for a thorough review to take place.
(Permalink) Bicester Oxfordshire Railfreight Ltd Railfreight |
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The Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) has been advocating for the removal of the roofs from the railway tunnels at the north end of Aberdeen station, which would allow for an increase in the loading gauge. This move would open up the route to more freight, allowing for the transportation of larger containers by ...
(Permalink) Hutcheon Street Tunnel Railfreight Schoolhill Tunnel  Schoolhill: 158705 emerges from Schoolhill tunnel, with a local service from Inverurie to Arbroath, on 11th February 2020.
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Every five years the priorities for investment by Network Rail are determined by the setting out of a High Level Output Statement (HLOS) by its funders. In Scotland this is Transport Scotland. This statement includes what the Scottish Ministers require the railway industry to achieve during the next Control Period. Usually shortened to CP, the current CP6 ends on 31 March 2024 and CP7 then runs until 31 March 2029.
(Permalink) High Level Output Statement Network Rail Railfreight Transport Scotland |
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Material to fix roads could be transported around the country by train if plans for the former Kincardine Power Station are approved.
(Permalink) Kincardine Kincardine Power Station Railfreight Tillicoultry Quarries |
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Two British firms - one seeking to capture emissions and one specialising in carbon storage - have partnered to develop a new rail corridor for transporting captured carbon. Energy-from-waste (EfW) firm enfinium has this week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Navigator Terminals, which specialises in storing gas in liquid form. The agreement concerns the development of a new rail corridor between enfiniums Ferrybridge EfW plant in West Yorkshire and Navigator Terminals storage facilities in Teesside.
(Permalink) Carbon capture Ferrybridge Railfreight enfinium |
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Research published by Rail Partners, the trade body representing five of the UKs biggest rail freight companies, earlier this month, outlines the economic and environmental achievements of the rail freight industry so far and the heights it could reach by 2050 with further policy support from UK government. This week, John Smith attended a Rail Partners parliamentary reception to present the Freight Expectation report to, Rail Minister, Huw Merriman and a group of MPs and Lords.
When comparing rail and road freight, rail freight already has a number of advantages. (Permalink) GBRailfreight Railfreight |
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Rail Freight Group's Martin Bignell highlights the need to shift freight from road to rail and outlines how this can be achieved.
(Permalink) Rail Freight Group Railfreight |
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The opening of a new railway station in the Scottish Highlands could open the door to new rail freight timber traffic. Improved infrastructure, installed to support the opening of Dalcross Inverness Airport station, has helped put the prospect of timber by rail on the agenda at West Fraser, the new owners of Norbord, a nearby []
(Permalink) Dalcross Inverness Airport Norbord Railfreight  Dalcross Timber Siding: Track renewal alongside Dalcross products, west of the under construction Inverness Airport station. |
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As we move into 2023 several new service developments have begun that continue to demonstrate the desire and appetite by major companies to look to rail as part of their supply chain decarbonisation programmes. Ocean Network Express, the World's sixth largest container carrier, initiated a new long-term partnership with rail freight company Freightliner that seeks to realise the commitment of both parties to delivering a greener future.
(Permalink) Railfreight |
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Electricity contracts must be subject to renegotiation immediately, says the French rail association AFRA. Many rail freight operators in France struggle with the increased electricity bills, which threaten their viability. Infrastructure manager SNCF quadrupled traction prices in early January, and diesel locomotives already substitute electric ones to reduce operational costs.
(Permalink) ARFA Electrification Railfreight SNCF |
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The Railway Industry Association, which represents the supply chain in the sector, has welcomed the overdue funding decisions from the government in Scotland. In the last week, publication has finally been made of the the High-Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) for Scotland's Railway infrastructure for the period April 2024 to ...
(Permalink) High-Level Output Specification Railfreight Railway Industry Association |
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Netherlands: Gent-based automation start-up OTIV has announced plans to test an autonomous train on the Betuwe Route freight corridor within the next two years.
(Permalink) Driverless trains Netherlands Railfreight |
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The UK Government has been told it should reconsider its decision to snub a Glasgow bid to be one of the country's freeports to boost the economy and create jobs. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that Cromarty and Forth would be given the freeport status to give it tax incentives to attract investment. The two beat other bids including a Glasgow Region bid involving the airport, Mossend Rail Freight terminal and the River Clyde.
(Permalink) Cromarty Forth Forth Green Freeport Glasgow Airport Green Freeport Greenock Greenock Containerport Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Mossend Marshalling Yard Railfreight  Mossend Marshalling Yard: 90039, just after its 'Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport' naming ceremony at Mossend, showing off its black 'Backbone' livery on 9th November 2021.
 Fouldubs Junction: DRS 68008 leaves Fouldubs Junction on 30 November with the 4A13 Grangemouth - Aberdeen intermodal.  Invergordon: A Class 24 without a headcode panel - an unusual sight in the Highlands - shunts Invergordon Goods Yard in summer 1973. The harbour branch trails off to the right. |
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It has been just a few weeks since our 'bridge bashing' series, but unless this has been an exceptional seven days, there have been a further twenty-five strikes. None of them were like this though. It's not every week that the British armed forces are caught out, taking out a bridge in Scotland.
(Permalink) Bridge Strike Loading Railfreight |
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A Highland timber plant is being asked to set an example by becoming the first firm to make use of a newly built train track.
(Permalink) Norboard Railfreight Timber |
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The plans are set to be debated by North Lanarkshire councillors in mid-December but Lanarkshire Live understands that North Lanarkshire Council planners will move to reject the plans.
(Permalink) North Lanarkshire Council Railfreight Ravenscraig Russell Group Ravenscraig Steel Works: Aerial shot of the obliterated site of the Ravenscraig Steelworks. |
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GB Railfreight (GBRf), operator of Rail Freight Services across the UK and employer of over 1,000 staff, is pleased to announce the investment of £4.7m into new maintenance depot in Peterborough alongside the East Coast Mainline.
The depot which is being built by Cairn Cross Engineering will create around 60 jobs in the local area during construction and a further 20 permanent jobs when the project completes next Summer. This continues GBRfs sustained investment in Peterborough and Eastern England following construction of its new £3 million Peterborough HQ last year. The depot is scheduled to open next summer. (Permalink) Cairn Cross Engineering East Coast Main Line GB Railfreight GBRf Peterborough Railfreight |
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Around 12,000 freight wagons on Britain's railways can now form part of longer trains. Moving goods by rail will be more cost effective and environmentally friendly due to longer freight trains being allowed. The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) said its research into couplers - which connect wagons - found they can safely transport either 16% or 13% more weight, depending on their type.
(Permalink) Couplings RSSB Railfreight |
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Through the constitutional, political and economic turbulence of September and October 2022 it has sometimes felt like the world has spun off its reassuringly familiar axis, even if individual aspects of it dont align with your personal perspectives. But through this, rail freight has continued to keep goods moving to and from Scotland.
(Permalink) Caledonian Sleeper Railfreight |
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The first freight locomotive has entered fitting out with an advanced digital communications package, necessary for the step-change upgrade to the prestige London Scotland main line. Rail freight operator DB Cargo UK and technology specialists Siemens, together with infrastructure project lead agency Network Rail, have begun the complex retrofitting of a workhorse class 66 ...
(Permalink) Class 66 DB Cargo UK ERTMS European Rail Traffic Management System Railfreight |
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Rail freight is contributing to the UK's net-zero ambitions with practical assistance. Manufacturers, logistics experts and rail freight operators have collaborated to move environmentally responsible plastic products by environmentally sustainable rail freight. The project involves a long-distance transfer from the south of England to the south of Scotland, and uses recently improved rail facilities at a Scottish port.
(Permalink) Grangemouth Railfreight |
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Eversholt Rail has reached agreement with Varamis Rail to lease a Class 321 Swift Express Freight train to deliver light goods at high speed across the UK. Varamis will be running services 5 nights a week from Birmingham to Scotland for a major parcel carrier.
Class 321 Swift Express Freight provides all electric traction delivering an environmentally friendly alternative to HGVs predominantly used in the logistics sector. The ex-passenger trains have been repurposed for freight use with high capacity and 100mph services able to access rail terminals, ports and city centres across the rail network. (Permalink) Birmingham Class 321 Class 321 Swift Express Freight Eversholt Rail Railfreight Varamis Rail |
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Babcock International, Forth Ports Group and Scarborough Muir Group outline their transformative vision for the internationally renowned port, shipbuilding, manufacturing and logistics cluster at Rosyth. It includes plans for a new freight terminal, offshore renewable manufacturing and green power generating capacity. It will also enable development of large scale advanced manufacturing, skills and innovation onsite, alongside a proposed new rail freight connection.
(Permalink) Babcock International Forth Ports Green Freeport Railfreight Rosyth  Rosyth Dockyard: Blue Star 1 arriving at Rosyth with the ro-ro ferry from Zeebrugge on 26 June 2008. Passenger services on the route ceased at the end of 2010 although a freight only service is still in operati ...  Rosyth Dockyard: Security freight loading bays at Rosyth Dockyard in June 2007, unused for some time.  Rosyth Dockyard: Is this Scotland's least-used working branch? Looking west along the Rosyth Dockyard line towards the docks on 27 March 2010. In the background is the Babcock Engineering's shed see image [[22278]] an ... |
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Removing the platform at a former halt has cleared the way for double tracking at Cameron Bridge on the Levenmouth project, a new line for communities in the east of Scotland. Critically, the demolition of the redundant passenger station opens up the prospect of reconnecting freight to adjacent industrial installations.
(Permalink) Cameron Bridge Diageo Levenmouth Railfreight  Cameron Bridge: A view of the spoil from the demolition of the older Cameron Bridge station's platform.  Cameron Bridge [1st]: Looking west over the site of Cameron Bridge station and yard on 14 September 2022, with the freight sidings lifted and the way cleared for laying the new double track line to Levenmouth. |
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The Rail Freight Group has highlighted the potential for market growth in its response to a call for evidence from the Great British Railways Transition Team, but says this can only be achieved if there is a successful partnership between the private sector and government.
(Permalink) Great British Railways Great British Railways Transition Team Rail Freight Group Railfreight |
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Highland Spring Group has put its Net Zero ambitions on the right track by opening a new rail freight facility. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was in attendance at the sites official opening event last month. The rail freight facility has been backed by the Scottish Government, which invested £4.47 million through a Freight Facilities Grant.
(Permalink) Highland Spring Railfreight |
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Emirati tycoon Mahdi Al-Tajir's Highland Spring received the cash for a train depot at his factory in Perthshire after claiming it will reduce the carbon footprint of the business.
(Permalink) Highland Spring Railfreight |
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The Russell Group is seeking permission to build a railhead logistics hub at the former industrial site at a cost of around £200 million.
(Permalink) Railfreight Ravenscraig Russell Group Ravenscraig Steel Works: Aerial shot of the obliterated site of the Ravenscraig Steelworks. |
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Drax Group has shown its support for the important campaign. With restrictions due to multiple worldly factors meaning certain services and productions cant take place at a reasonable pace due to supply issues, the use of freight rail is now more important than ever.
(Permalink) DB Cargo Drax Group Railfreight |
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DB Cargo UK has frequently been busy with the paintbrush, including the most fiery livery yet, the 'Steel on Steel' variant most recently released into service on a class 60 locomotive. The eye-catching design highlights the part rail freight plays in sustaining the steel industry.
(Permalink) DB Cargo UK Railfreight |
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As Liz Truss moves her belongings into No 10, she will no doubt be focussing on the priorities for her new Government. It seems unlikely that rail freight will be one of them, but how she chooses to tackle some of the big issues currently facing the country will be vital to the success of ...
(Permalink) Rail Freight Group Railfreight Westminster |
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The Highland Spring freight terminal will allow thousands of bottles to be transported by rail rather than road.
(Permalink) Blackford Highland Spring Railfreight  Blackford: Tracks in place and ballasted at the new Highland Spring facility in April 2022, but the buffers have yet to be installed. It is ten years since the first trial of container trains took place here (Se ... |
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With bids now in, five contenders are hoping to secure one of two locations to be chosen to be Scotlands new Green Freeports. Proposals from Orkney, Aberdeen, Cromarty, Forth and Clyde regions have set out why they should become a beneficiary of this new status and how that status will become a catalyst for growth, innovation and investment in their regions.
(Permalink) Aberdeen Cromarty Firth Firth of Clyde Firth of Forth Green Freeport Orkney Railfreight  Greenock Container Port: November 2021 aerial view of the Greenock Containerbase. This occupies the area where Greenock Princes Pier G&SWR station was previously. The specialist cruise vessel 'Hebridean Princess' is moored a ...  Greenock Containerbase Sidings: Looking over the site of Princes Pier Shed, it was latterly is use as container sidings for Greenock Ocean Terminal. To the left is Greenock Central Sawmills, where the shed buildings stood. The sidin ... |
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Workers at Felixstowe, which handles half of the country's container cargo, are walking out for eight days.
(Permalink) Containers Felixstowe Railfreight Strike Unite  Longsight: A grubby 66735 'Peterborough United' is nearing the end of its journey from Felixstowe as it comes of the Styal Loop at Slade Lane Junction and passes Longsight Depot heading for Trafford Park. Hidden ...  Deansgate: Nearing the end of a long journey from Felixstowe, GBRf 66741 rumbles through Deansgate station on 6 August heading for the Trafford Park freight terminal with a lengthy train of containers.  Kilmarnock: Freightliner 66517 heads the diverted 4L89 Coatbridge - Felixstowe containers through Kilmarnock station on 16 January 2016. This service is normally routed via Kilwinning. |
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The UK arm of global shipping carrier MSC has announced a successful shake down of its new Anglo-Scottish rail service. What is effectively a land cruise for containers, takes traffic between ports and terminals in the West of Scotland and what the company calls global trade routes, via Hams Hall terminal in Birmingham and on ... [The rail link to Greenock Containbase remains closed. -RS]
(Permalink) Grangemouth Greenock Containerport Hams Hall MSC Mossend Marshalling Yard Railfreight  Greenock Containerbase Sidings: Looking over the site of Princes Pier Shed, latterly in use as container sidings for the Greenock Ocean Terminal. The bridge in the centre of shot goes over Brougham Street (See image 8933 and 15507) ... |
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Welsh timber will be permanently carried on the main rail route through Powys after trials were deemed successful.
The 'discrete' trials between Aberystwyth and Chirk's Kronospan factory have seen the firm Colas Rail UK sign a contract to make the arrangement permanent. The additional service has been described as 'environmentally friendly', and has been made possible with the help of Network Rail, being the first regular locomotive-hauled freight service to use the scenic Cambrian Line in more than 25 years. (Permalink) Aberystwyth Chirk Colas Rail Kronospan Railfreight Timber |
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The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the autonomous government safety and performance watchdog, has assessed Network Rail Scotland as part of a nationwide review. The annual report card is not good reading for the parents, which in this case are now the Scottish government. The report shows train service performance was mixed and its ...
(Permalink) ORR Railfreight |
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New service to support UKs automotive industry by moving 315kt of aggregate by rail GB Railfreight (GBRf) has this week announced the commencement of a new service to move aggregates from Shap Summit Quarry to Battleship Wharf in North Blyth. The aggregates are being moved for Breedon and will be used for the foundations of a BritishVolt gigaplant, which is strategically important to the UKs automotive industry and a key component in the drive to the UK achieving Net Zero by 2050.
(Permalink) Battleship Wharf Breedon BritishVolt Electric Vehicles GB Railfreight North Blyth Railfreight Shap Summit Quarry |
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A call for evidence has been issued on how to boost the amount of freight that is transported around the UK by rail as part of efforts to decarbonise the movement of goods by cutting the number of lorries on roads.
The Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), which is a public body, is calling for a broad range of views on how to expand rail freight. It is estimated rail freight currently accounts for just 10 per cent of surface freight although it generates about 76 per cent less carbon emissions compared to HGVs per tonne of goods transported. (Permalink) Great British Railways Transition Team Railfreight |
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Proposals to reconnect a Scottish port with freight ferry services to Europe could hinge on making rail freight part of the mix. That's the message from stakeholders seeking to establish a direct link between Rosyth on the east coast of Scotland and Zeebrugge on the west coast of Belgium.
(Permalink) Freight ferry Railfreight Rosyth Zeebrugge  Rosyth Dockyard: The south eastern part of Rosyth Dockyard's rail system in 1992. This would later be removed for industrial developments on the site. Note the lightweight flat-bottom track.
Rosyth Dockyard: Blue Star 1 arriving at Rosyth with the ro-ro ferry from Zeebrugge on 26 June 2008. Passenger services on the route ceased at the end of 2010 although a freight only service is still in operati ...  Rosyth Dockyard: The little-used tracks leading to Rosyth Dockyard on the evening of 8 June 2011. Trains may return if Babcock Rosyth is successful with plans for an international container terminal. In the background ... |
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Campaigners fear Levenmouth could lose out on plans for a freight terminal for the new railway line.
(Permalink) Cameron Bridge Diageo Levenmouth Levenmouth Rail Campaign Group Methil Docks Railfreight  Cameron Bridge [1st]: As part of an investigation into reopening the Levenmouth branch to passenger traffic, BR and Fife Regional Council officials travelled down the line in saloon DM45020, hauled by 37240. The train pau ...  Methil East Junction: Looking south west from the footbridge over the lines near Methil East Junction in February 1970, with a train leaving the docks to run to Kirkland yard. Note coal hoist 8A on dock number 3 in the rig ... |
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Union Jack flags waving from drivers' cabs, maybe even 'God Save the Queen' on the horn and a right royal drive past. From 2 to 5 June, the UK is celebrating the platinum jubilee of the queen. Whatever the level of street party and formal celebration, if an operator could have taken a locomotive down The Mall, they would have done.
(Permalink) Platinum Jubilee Railfreight |
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Virgin Hyperloops announcement of a bold pivot to a freight-only model has raised questions as to how it can challenge an already efficient rail freight sector.
(Permalink) Hyperloop Railfreight |
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Power blackouts, petrol shortages and empty shelves loom if rail unions vote to strike, it emerged tonight. At least four in five services could be cancelled if RMT chiefs win support for walkouts.
(Permalink) RMT Railfreight |
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Rail firms are now drawing up plans to reserve tracks for goods trains, which each carry as much as 72 lorries as unions plan for a 'summer of discontent' that will spell chaos for many of Britain's major industries.
(Permalink) Railfreight |
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A new safety scheme has launched which will fit more than 15,000 of Britains freight locomotives and wagons with technology that enables the condition of wheelsets - a pair of wheels mounted on an axle - to be monitored in real-time.
(Permalink) Crewe Network Rail RFID Railfreight Remote monitoring Wheelsets |
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Services in Central Scotland have faced a weekend of disruption and several more days of curtailed services. A derailment at a busy junction has wiped out a large proportion of suburban passenger services around Glasgow and disrupted freight movements too. The domestic passenger operator, publicly owned ScotRail, also faces a driver shortage, which the operator addresses with an emergency timetable.
(Permalink) Cancellations Derailment Railfreight ScotRail Sunnyside Junction |
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For the first time since 2005, a freight train carrying Welsh timber left Aberystwyth as part of a trial that could see regular freight traffic return to the Cambrian line.
(Permalink) Aberystwyth Railfreight Timber |
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DB Cargo UK have hosted cross industry talks about the future of international rail freight, discussing ways to increase the volume of rail freight through the Channel Tunnel.
(Permalink) DB Cargo UK Railfreight |
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A new rail-ferry freight service between the UK and south-west France to serve Spain is to go ahead after a two-year delay due to the pandemic.
(Permalink) Bayonne Brittany Ferries Cherbourg Cherbourg European Freight Centre Mouguerre Poole Portsmouth Railfreight Rosslare |
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Much has been written about the challenge of decarbonising the railway. Commentators debate the merits of 25kV electrification, or hydrogen and/or batteries (on self-powered trains). In the end, the discussion is about the relative energy density (whether measured by volume or mass) of the various energy sources compared with diesel fuel. 25kV electrification, of course, ...
(Permalink) Electrification Railfreight |
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Unlike all different transport modes continuing operations during holidays, this is not the case for the railways of Great Britain. The only movement in the railway network during such days is the scream of the grinding wheel, the roar of the welding torch, and thousands of orange-jacketed engineers, hard at work on a programme of ...
(Permalink) Engineering work Railfreight |
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To kick-start a modern light logistics market, a back to the future approach is proposed by the UK infrastructure agency Network Rail. In a report that will be handed on to the new overarching Great British Railways organisation in 2023, NR has laid out proposals to recapture a significant proportion of the light logistics market.
(Permalink) Railfreight |
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The Rail Freight Group has announced Rail Freight: Fit for the Future a forward-thinking documentary series, focused on three key pillars of growth, sustainability, and innovation. It will be produced by Zinc Media Group and released in partnership with the Freight Industry Timesin the Autumn.
(Permalink) Rail Freight Group Railfreight |
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Rail Freight Group (RFG) was pleased to respond to the consultation on the National Planning Framework 4. We were pleased to see emphasis given in the NPF4 to the need to decarbonise transport and its commitments to interventions to encourage modal shift to rail freight. The framework approach to considering the regions of Scotland in the context of their underlying socio-economic characteristics also identifies significant industries and generators of freight traffic. Each region is also a consuming one, often served by very extended supply chains. These longer distances will become increasingly challenging to serve by road, making rail freight an increasingly attractive option for business to consider.
(Permalink) National Planning Framework Rail Freight Group Railfreight |
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A focus on asset utilisation saw John G Russell (Transport) increase profits by 5% last year. The Glasgow haulage and warehousing firm said revenues had also risen slightly to £68.8m in the year ending 31 March, compared to £68.7m in 2020. In its latest financial report the company, which operates HGVs out of six depots across Scotland, as well as at the Daventry rail freight ... [Full article requires registration. -RS]
(Permalink) John G Russell Railfreight |
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The haulier will have two buildings totalling a huge 538,000 square feet. Work has started on new Eddie Stobart facilities at a massive Daventry industrial estate. The firm is building a two-unit campus at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (Prologis RFI DIRFT), with cladding now being installed on the buildings.
(Permalink) DIRFT Eddie Stobart Railfreight  Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: A landslip at Kilsby led to a Northbound closure of the WCML from 27th January 2021, and diversions via Northampton. On 9th February this bright red Voyager contrasts vividly with the surrounding (ine ...  Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: A mathematical puzzle: If 66004 picks up 4 Cargowaggons from the siding nearest to the Eddie Stobart warehouse, backs them onto the rake in the other siding, pulls a total of 12 wagons out, then depos ...  Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: It's a lonely life a-shunting. Malcolm group locomotive 08823 returns to the main yard at DIRFT on 18 December 2015 after depositing a rake of Cargowaggons by the Eddie Stobart warehouse see image [[5 ... |
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Britains biggest retailer is turning to the railways to boost both its eco-credentials and its supply chain resiliency. Will its rivals follow suit?
Last year's Christmas was a tense affair. Last-minute Covid restrictions, widespread labour shortages, and a lack of transport from Inverness to Cornwall meant everything from turkey to potatoes was at risk of running short. Each supermarket had their own way of handling it. Some slashed their ranges, others bought up lorries. Tesco, meanwhile, turned to trains. (Permalink) Railfreight Tesco |
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A rail freight terminal in Northamptonshire has become the first in the UK to demonstrate an innovative overhead electrification system, which could spell the end for diesel on electrified rail routes and boost the industrys net zero ambitions. Freight trains are typically loaded and unloaded from above, preventing the use of the high voltage overhead cables used on mainline railways. As such, they still rely on diesel to move in and out of terminals and passengers can be held up by slower diesel freight trains on mainlines, or those waiting to be moved into a depot by a shunter.
(Permalink) Electrification Railfreight Wellingborough |
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The traditional view of rail freight is of long trains carrying heavy bulk commodities - coal, stone, minerals. As some of these traffics have declined, a consequence of wider government policies such as the switch to less carbon-intensive sources of energy, containerised freight has come to dominate.
(Permalink) Containers Intermodal Railfreight |
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DB Cargo UK and Groupe CAT have officially launched a new international car-carrying service for Toyota between the UK and France.
(Permalink) DB Cargo UK Railfreight Toton Toyota |
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DB Cargo UK has launched a rail service transporting Corolla hybrid cars manufactured at Toyotas Derby plant in the UK to Valenciennes in France via the Channel Tunnel, returning with Aygo, Yaris and Yaris+ vehicles.
(Permalink) Channel Tunnel DB Cargo UK Derby France Railfreight Toyota Valenciennes |
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Freight train carried a total of 320 tonnes of timber in eight wagons from Newton Abbot to Wales.
(Permalink) Abergavenny Colas Rail Network Rail Newton Abbot Railfreight Timber  Newton Abbot: A sawmill in Abergavenny in Wales has received its first load of rail-transported timber since 2004, thanks to a partnership between Network Rail and freight operator Colas Rail. The timber, felled in ... |
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A sawmill in Abergavenny in Wales has received its first load of rail-transported timber since 2004, thanks to a partnership between Network Rail and freight operator Colas Rail.
(Permalink) Abergavenny Colas Rail Network Rail Newton Abbot Railfreight Timber |
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UK timber extraction by rail lags behind European practice, but campaigners propose changes that would help redress the balance. Major reserves on the border between England and Scotland are maturing, and environmental and legal considerations are challenging the current preference for road delivery. The industry, however, has yet to be convinced.
(Permalink) BSW Campaign for Borders Rail Carlisle Georgemas Junction Kielder Kronospan Railfreight  Chester West Junction: Colas Rail 66843 gets the right of way from Chester Station at 17.30 on 11 May to access the coast line to Saltney Junction on a lengthy timber working to Kronospan at Chirk. This was the second worki ...  Georgemas Junction: Close up of the wagon loading equipment in use for the trial timber trains at Georgemas Junction, seen on 4th August 2020.  Kielder Forest: A photograph taken looking north from the now infilled bridge towards Kielder station in 1950 with the Border Counties line heading for Riccarton Junction. Opened in 1862, the station was renamed Kiel ... |
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New year is always a time to celebrate and to look forward. Hopefully we will get on top of the latest manifestation of the Covid pandemic and can contemplate more stable times ahead.
(Permalink) Blackford Highland Spring Railfreight Tesco |
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The long awaited rebirth of Cloburn Quarry has been celebrated onsite. The former coal handling depot in South Lanarkshire has been inaugurated as a new aggregates terminal, serving the continued growth of the UK infrastructure and construction industry. The onsite quarry will supply materials, with the facility to handle both outbound and inbound loads.
(Permalink) Cloburn Quarry Railfreight Ravenscruther  Ravenstruther: Ravenstruther coal terminal under construction in 1989. The view looks towards Glasgow. |
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Officers have now confirmed the proposals could be voted on as early as February.
(Permalink) BSC Ravenscraig Motherwell Railfreight Ravenscraig Ravenscraig Ltd Ravenscraig Steel Works Russell Group  Ravenscraig BOS Plant: Molten iron being poured into a BOS vessel at the Ravenscraig Steel Works. Ravenscraig Steel Works: Aerial shot of the obliterated site of the Ravenscraig Steelworks. |
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Direct Rail Services (DRS) has extended its partnership with UKs biggest supermarket chain. Nuclear Transport Solutions rail division has signed a new three-year deal with supermarket giant Tesco. The new deal will see DRS continue to supply, and expand, rail operations across the country in their established partnership. [See also item of the 14th. -RS]
(Permalink) Direct Rail Services Railfreight Tesco |
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Tesco has partnered with Direct Rail Services (DRS) to launch a new refrigerated rail freight service from Tilbury to Coatbridge.
(Permalink) Coatbridge DRS Railfreight Tesco Tilbury  Bay Horse: One of the new refrigerated containers on the last wagon of a lightly loaded Tilbury to Coatbridge intermodal passing through Lancashire on 15th January 2022. Tesco has heavily publicised its new part ...  Bay Horse: Early days for the new Tilbury to Coatbridge intermodal service (See recent news item) and it was lightly loaded on 15th January 2022 as 88008 'Ariadne' headed north through the cutting at Forton. The ... |
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Marking a first for the Port of Tyne, the first ever container shipment of goods coming directly from China into the UK has docked and been efficiently unloaded in South Shields.
The vessel was utilised by a number of leading retailers, to ensure a wide range of consumer goods from well-known brands would arrive in time for peak trading periods. It represents a turning point for South Shields as a potential destination for logistics providers seeking an alternative to congested Southern ports. (Permalink) Port of Tyne Railfreight |
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Only time will judge whether COP26 was a success. To many it achieved real progress, to others not enough, and to some it was all 'blah, blah, blah'. Whatever camp you are in, one thing is for sure, all eyes were on Scotland and the hospitality industry had much to cheer about after the covid lockdowns. [Note the mention of electrification of the Glasgow and South Western Main Line. -RS]
(Permalink) Blackford Electrification Glasgow and South Western Railway Highland Spring Mossend Yard Rail Freight Group Railfreight Russell Group Timber WSP Mossend Marshalling Yard: 90039, just after its 'Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport' naming ceremony at Mossend, showing off its black 'Backbone' livery on 9th November 2021.
 Blackford: The 12.43 from Glasgow Queen Street to Dundee, powered by 43012 and 43146, passes the Highland Spring terminal at Blackford on 27th September 2020. No sidings laid yet.
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Rail Freight Group (RFG) has welcomed news that the North Transpennine route is to be upgraded to allow containers to be moved by rail. The plans were confirmed in the Integrated Rail Plan, published yesterday by the Department for Transport. It states that gauge clearance, allowing shipping containers to move on rail wagons, will be undertaken as part of the first phase of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project. Currently, the major freeports on the East Coast and West Coast of England, including Humber, Tees and Liverpool are not able to move containers by rail to the cities across the north of England.
(Permalink) Containers Gauge clearance Humber Liverpool Railfreight Tees |
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The drive by the rail and road freight industry to achieve net zero status has been highlighted during the COP26 climate change summit this week.
The move towards reducing emissions across the sectors supply chains in Scotland and the UK has been showcased at a three-day event, titled Low Carbon Logistics, which concluded on Transport Day at the conference yesterday. (Permalink) COP26 Low Carbon Logistics Mossend International Railfreight Park Mossend Marshalling Yard Railfreight Transport Day  Mossend Marshalling Yard: This NTS/DRS Class 68, seen stabled at Mossend, was renamed 'Pride of the North' at Mossend Yard on the 10th November. 68006 was used until last year (2020) on the Fife Circle.  Mossend Marshalling Yard: On 9th November 90039 was named 'Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport', at a ceremony performed by Bill Reeve, Rail Director Transport Scotland, during a three-day Low Carbon Logistics event ... |
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GB Railfreight has named a Class 92 electric locomotive 'Billy Stirling' during a ceremony at Mossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) as part of COP26 in Glasgow. Located next to the electrified West Coast Main Line, MIRP is Scotland's largest international multi-modal rail freight park and welcomes up to 16 trains per day.
(Permalink) Billy Stirling COP26 Class 92 GB Railfreight Mossend International Railfreight Park Peter D. Stirling Limited Railfreight |
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With COP26 now well under way, the rail industry's We Mean Green campaign aims to highlight how moving more goods by rail could help combat climate change.
Every 24 hours, more than 8,000 tonnes of food, products and other essentials pass over the England-Scotland border at Gretna in freight trains - the greenest way of transporting food, drink and other essentials in bulk. (Permalink) COP26 Railfreight We Mean Green  Bay Horse: DRS 66425 at the head of a Mossend to Daventry intermodal, which would normally be hauled by a Class 88 electric, passing through the cutting at Forton on 16th October 2021.  Bay Horse: 0715hrs, 9th June 2020, and the Story contractor's staff haven't yet arrived at the works site at Forton cutting. Freightliner 90041 and 90045 power north with a Crewe to Coatbridge intermodal service ...  Abington: The 12.40 from Glasgow Central to Euston passes DBC 66165, in the up loop at Abington, on a Grangemouth to Daventry intermodal service on 21st September 2019.
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An event raising awareness about the transition to Net Zero in the Rail and Road Freight industries will begin on Monday 8th November. Taking place during COP26 and finishing on Transport Day at the global conference, Low Carbon Logistics is a three-day event to showcase the drive to net zero emission supply chains taking place in Scotland and the UK.
(Permalink) Low Carbon Logistics Mossend International Railfreight Park Mossend Marshalling Yard Peter D Stirling Ltd Railfreight  Mossend Marshalling Yard: Since removal of the bing at the north end of Mossend Yard it has become much harder to get an overview of the yard. This was my attempt in 2001. The Euroterminal is on the left. |
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New technology to transfer long-distance lorries from motorways to railways is set to revolutionise the movement of freight and free up congested road networks. [Full article requires subscription. -RS]
(Permalink) Containers Green Railfreight |
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The energy and fuel crisis is currently hitting Europe hard. In the rail freight sector, increased electricity prices gave space even to rumours that companies would stop using electric locomotives. How does this situation affect the industry, and is it something to really worry about? The topic attracts different opinions as the situation alters according ...
(Permalink) Electricity Costs Electrification Railfreight |
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The Scottish Greens want the people of Motherwell and the surrounding areas to have their say. Proposals to develop a massive industrial rail transport hub at Ravenscraig has been described by one Lanarkshire MSP as a white elephant.
(Permalink) BSC Ravenscraig Motherwell Railfreight Ravenscraig Ravenscraig Ltd Ravenscraig Steel Works Russell Group Ravenscraig BOS Plant: Molten iron being poured into a BOS vessel at the Ravenscraig Steel Works. Ravenscraig Steel Works: Aerial shot of the obliterated site of the Ravenscraig Steelworks. |
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Rail freight is one of Rails successes and is vital to Britains economy, carrying more than £30 billion of goods each year with each freight train taking about 76 lorries off the roads. This translates to 1.66 billion fewer lorry kilometres a year, reducing road congestion and carbon emissions.
(Permalink) GPS Railfreight Tracking |
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Figures show increase in freight train movements in Network Rails Eastern Region over corresponding period in 2019/20. New scrap metal service introduced from Ilkeston to Immingham. Sunderland Docks branch scrap metal service recommenced to cope with rising demand. New contract to move 350,000 tonnes of waste from Barking to Scunthorpe. New intermodal cargo terminal constructed in Sheffield.
(Permalink) Barking Ilkeston Immingham Railfreight Scunthorpe Sheffield Sunderland |
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