Passengers from the southeast Irish port of Rosslare could be forced to change trains on the way to Dublin. Growing traffic from the port and enhancements to the metro service around the Irish capital could leave through services struggling for train paths. A solution has been proposed by the Irish Government, which would require long-distance…
Author: Simon Walton
Fuel supplier Zero offers rail freight industry absolutely nothing
Carbon-neutral synthetic diesel could be just the tonic the rail freight industry is seeking. Operators will have to radically rethink their motive power fleets to meet the stringent net zero carbon ambitions set out in law by the UK government. New fuels for old locomotives could be the environmental and economical answer. Enter Zero, with…
UK spark of genius for a net-zero railway by 2050
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has released an ambitious blueprint titled “Delivering a Lower Cost, Higher Performing Net Zero Railway by 2050”. The Association, which mainly represents the interests of supply chain members, says it is aiming to revolutionise the UK’s railway network. So, no pressure there. Their report outlines a comprehensive strategy. It promises…
Maritime appointed rail freight operator at forthcoming West Midlands Interchange
The UK multimodal freight carrier Maritime Transport has been appointed rail freight operator at the West Midlands Interchange. The government-designated strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI) is currently under construction at a site north of Wolverhampton. The developers of the logistics park, Oxford Properties Group and partner developer Logistics Capital Partners, have announced an exclusive agreement…
Freightliner chief says get costs down for sake of environment
Tim Shoveller, the chief executive of Genesee and Wyoming UK and Europe, less tongue twistingly branded as Freightliner, has bemoaned the rising cost of operating rail freight in the face of environmental issues. On the first anniversary of his appointment, the former Network Rail boss has called out the widening gap between the costs of…
GBRf Southampton to Hams Hall service begins today
GB Railfreight is making good on its promise to introduce a raft of new services and expand its operations. The company inaugurated a new Southampton Docks to Birmingham Hams Hall intermodal service today, Monday, 8 April, operating daily from the south coast port. The service falls within the distance limit to qualify for the DP…
Derailment makes triple Friday headache for British network
A triumvirate of deep depressions hit British railways on Friday. Commuters into London Paddington and airline travellers heading for Heathrow were grounded by a freight train derailment just after sunrise. In addition, pickets were on duty at Euston and elsewhere, in pursuit of the latest strike by drivers. To cap it all, there was a…
UK Winvic plans capacity increase at iPort Rail
News of further development work at Doncaster’s iPort Rail has been welcomed as good news for the economy of South Yorkshire. Construction company Winvic claimed it would work to see rail freight capacity enhanced within the modern logistics hub. With some major rail freight operators and customers already co-located, the improvement programme is expected to…
UK Winvic plans capacity increase at iPort Rail
News of further development work at Doncaster’s iPort Rail has been welcomed as good news for the economy of South Yorkshire. Construction company Winvic claimed it would work to see rail freight capacity enhanced within the modern logistics hub. With some major rail freight operators and customers already co-located, the improvement programme is expected to…
Direct Rail Services roll out new fleet of JNA-Z box wagons
A fleet of 25 brand new JNA-Z box wagons from VTG Rail UK, the British arm of the multi-national freight wagon supplier, has entered traffic for Direct Rail Services (DRS). The wagons were built by WH Davis at its Shirebrook facility in Derbyshire, England. They will be operated by Nuclear Transport Solutions’ (NTS) rail division…