Fewer freight trucks used the Channel Tunnel in the first quarter of 2024. The LeShuttle Freight trains carried just under 302,000 trucks between the turn of the year and the end of March. Last year (2023), the figure was just below 322,000, representing a six per cent fall, according to Getlink. Getlink has also announced…
Author: Simon Walton
Channel Tunnel freight traffic down, customs handling upwards
Fewer freight trucks used the Channel Tunnel in the first quarter of 2024. The LeShuttle Freight trains carried just under 302,000 trucks between the turn of the year and the end of March. Last year (2023), the figure was just below 322,000, representing a six per cent fall, according to Getlink. Getlink has also announced…
Multinational effort supports rail ops at Celsa Steel Cardiff
A Spanish steel company with a production facility in Wales, supported by a British Rail freight company, running Italian locomotives. It’s like Brexit never happened. Nevertheless, the rail services provided by GB Railfreight keep manufacturing moving at the Celsa steelworks in Cardiff. Now, just like their hi-tech furnaces, rail operations are modernising too. Rolling stock…
Grange-over-Sands derailment proved overcomplicated, freight got away with it
Engineers from Network Rail, the British infrastructure agency, have had their work cut out. They have been flat out in their recovery and repair efforts following the train derailment that occurred in Grange-over-Sands on Friday, 22 March 2024. The incident, involving a Northern-operated train, initially garnered minimal media attention. However, it has since proven to…
GB Railfreight extends contract with Network Rail
Engineering trains are a significant part of the rail freight sector. They support the entirety of the railway. In Britain, GB Railfreight (GBRf) one of the country’s largest rail freight operators, has extended its contract for those support services with Network Rail, the owner and infrastructure manager of the UK mainline railway network. Network Rail…
British manufacturer delivers first battery shunter to Freightliner
Freightliner in the UK has taken delivery of a brand new shunting and switching locomotive with a difference. It is entirely battery-powered. The designated Class 18 locomotive has been built by the British manufacturer Clayton, which has a long history of involvement in the UK railway industry. The locomotive has been financed by rolling stock…
Scotland’s Russell Group acquires Freightliner Coatbridge
Glasgow-headquartered Russell Group, also known by variations on the founder’s name, John G. Russell, has bought over the Coatbridge Rail Terminal, currently operated by Freightliner. Insiders have been expecting the move for some time, and the acquisition has been a long-held ambition of the company. Russell Group say the move strengthens their commitment to sustainable…
Scotland’s Russell Group acquires Freightliner Coatbridge
Glasgow-headquartered Russell Group, also known by variations on the founder’s name, John G. Russell, has bought over the Coatbridge Rail Terminal, currently operated by Freightliner. Insiders have been expecting the move for some time, and the acquisition has been a long-held ambition of the company. Russell Group say the move strengthens their commitment to sustainable…
All change for rail in Dublin due to post-Brexit freight boom
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…
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…