Direct Rail Services (DRS) has taken delivery of a fleet of 25 brand new JNA-Z box wagons from VTG Rail UK, the country’s leading freight wagon supplier.
The wagons were built by WH Davis at its Shirebrook facility and will be operated by Nuclear Transport Solutions’ (NTS) rail division DRS.
VTG Rail UK Sales Manager Archie Lucas said: “We had the privilege of attending WH Davis’s Shirebrooke site to witness the collection of these 25 newly built JNA-Z box wagons. It’s great to see these wagons coming off the production line and into service for our valued customer DRS, for whom these wagons will become part of a wider fleet supplied by VTG, further cementing a positive working relationship between our companies.
“VTG works closely with operators across the UK rail network to ensure timely and safe delivery of goods and we are delighted to see these brand-new wagons in service.”
DRS said that the new wagons will enter traffic shortly. Each wagon’s gross laden weight is 101.6 tonnes, and the tare weight is 24.2t meaning that the payload is 77.4t.
Gottfried Eymer, NTS Managing Director for Rail, said: “These new wagons are an excellent addition to our portfolio and will enable us to provide new services to our customers.
“These are very exciting times, and the wagons offer a huge amount of flexibility, not to mention that each train we operate can take up to 60 lorries from the roads and offer CO2 savings of 76 per cent when compared to road transport.”
The new wagons take the number of wagons used by DRS, that are leased from VTG Rail UK, from 115 to 140, further diversifying the portfolio, with the previous hires all involving intermodal wagons.
The new wagons are being hired via a wet lease, meaning that VTG Rail UK will also provide maintenance.
Archie Lucas added: “It’s good to work with WH Davis and support UK manufacturing whilst also delivering a robust set of wagons for our customer. We look forward to seeing these wagons entering service with DRS.”
