02.06.16
DB Cargo renew contract to operate heaviest trains in UK for Mendip Rail
DB Cargo has renewed its contract to deliver aggregates for Mendip Rail for a further five years.
DB Cargo, which until recently was known as DB Schenker Rail, delivers more than 100 trains of aggregates every week from quarries in Somerset to London and the south east.
The Class 59 ‘jumbo’ locomotives, which are the heaviest trains in the UK, are 44 wagons long and can carry over 3,300 tonnes.
Mick Tinsley, head of building, infrastructure and construction at DB Cargo UK, said: “I’m very pleased to see our long-term relationship with Mendip Rail being extended further.
“Our proven ability to reliably deliver the high volume requirement of the contract is a major factor in Mendip Rail choosing to continue working with DB Cargo UK.
“Over the coming years we are jointly committed to meeting the increasing demands of the busy South East construction market.”
DB Cargo serves 33 depots for Mendip Rail, loading materials at seven points:
- Aggregate Industries Torr Quarry (Somerset)
● Hanson Aggregates Whatley Quarry (Somerset)
● Aggregate Industries Isle of Grain Wharf (Kent)
● Hanson Aggregates Machen Quarry (South Wales)
● Midland Quarry Products Cliffe Hill Quarry (Leicestershire)
● Hanson Aggregates Dagenham Wharf (East London)
● Avonmouth Docks (Bristol)
The Class 59s then split into two or three smaller trains at West London, in order to deliver aggregates to their final destination with greater efficiency and a reduced environmental impact.
The products delivered include aggregates for use in concrete and asphalt and rail ballast for the London Underground network.
DB Cargo has also introduced a dedicated management team, with joint management reviews held daily at the Mendip Rail offices at Merehead in Somerset.
Mendip Rail has also hired 130 freight aggregate wagons from VTG Rail UK, which will be in use on the Somerset to London route this summer.
(Image c. Network Rail)
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