11.09.15
GBRf runs first waste train from new North London Railfreight Terminal
GB Railfreight (GBRf) has run its first train transporting waste from its new North London Railfreight Terminal in Cricklewood this week.
The new three-year contract is for one train a day (Monday to Friday) in partnership with FCC Environment, with whom GBRf have signed a material storage, handling and haulage deal.
Each loaded train is formed of 20 box wagons, which is the equivalent of removing about 70 lorries from the road or 350 lorries per week.
Locomotive 66709 departed the North London Railfreight Terminal at 12.15 on Tuesday (8 September) and is the first train to run under the new agreement to take spoil up to FCC Environment’s Calvert Waste Management Facility in Buckinghamshire. The ultimate end-use of the materials is reuse or recovery rather than disposal.
John Smith, managing director of GBRf, said: “As London continues to build, more and more construction soils and materials need to be able to leave the capital efficiently and with least cost to the environment at a time when London’s roads are already seriously under strain.
“With major projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2 in the pipeline, the rail freight sector can provide a reliable solution. This new service out of Cricklewood demonstrates our commitment to doing our bit to support the construction sector in London, removing 350 lorries from the road per week.”
GBRf signed a head lease with Network Rail earlier this month to commence operating from the Cricklewood site, a location that had not been in use for years.