Rail freight company GB Railfreight (GBRf) has confirmed that it has taken delivery of 100 new intermodal wagons. The final delivery of the FEA-G intermodal wagons means a total 100 new intermodal wagons as well as 50 new JNA-X Box Wagons have been delivered. The delivery is a partnership between GB Railfreight (GBRf), Porterbrook, and Greenbrier.
The wagons will help an increase in rail freight capacity in the UK as it continues its modal shift from road to rail. Rail produces 76% less carbon than road haulage and it is expected these new wagons will help deliver the vision of sustainability and the industry’s aim for net-zero.
The new FEA-G trains are high-density tin wagons, capable of carrying six twenty-foot units on each service. This capacity marks a significant increase in volume of cargo than what has been available on UK routes previously.
To ensure that the wagons can carry the extra weight, they have also had a design evolution and now feature additional strengthening on the box without adding any weight – This has meant that each can carry 101.6 tonnes.
Dave Golding, asset director at GB Railfreight, said: “These new wagons are some of the best available in the UK right now and we’re continually adding them to our services. They have allowed us to move an extra 1.2 million tonnes of aggregate every year. Combined, they will remove c.400,000 lorries movements from our roads a year, leading to a huge reduction in our carbon emissions and delivering significant road safety benefits.”
Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight at Porterbrook, said: “This project demonstrates our commitment to freight and positions us well for future growth in the sector. It is testament to the strength of our partnership with GB Railfreight and Greenbrier that we’ve worked together and agreed ways to mitigate significant challenges.”
John Brown, head of sales at Greenbrier said: “In November 2022 the first JNA box wagons arrived into the UK, on schedule, followed shortly after by the first 60ft Intermodal Twin wagons. Both orders were complete in 2023 with the last wagons having just arrived.
“The positive outcome of both projects is testimony of the close collaborative working relationship we had with Porterbrook and GBRf to manage the challenges we all faced caused by Covid and the situation between Russia and Ukraine.”
Photo credit: GB Railfreight
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