Rail contract to cut road traffic in south east England

Rail freight operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) Cargo UK has said it will reduce congestion on roads across the south east of England roads by the equivalent of 190 lorry-loads a day, following a service deal.

DB Cargo will run more than 15 freight train services a week under a the 10 year deal

DB Cargo will run more than 15 freight train services a week under a new 10-year deal with Brentford-based construction and demolition company Day Group.

Under the contract, DB Cargo will provide rail services to move sea-dredged aggregates from Cliffe in Kent to depots at Crawley, Purley, Tolworth and Battersea.

The aggregates are used for the production of concrete and in general construction. The material is currently being used to support high profile construction projects in London including the Battersea Power Station development and the Northern Line extension.

The contract includes growth in traffic volumes through additional services to new concrete plants and for further ash services. DB Cargo is also introducing high capacity wagons to support the expected growth in volumes.

Ash

Additional services will transport incinerator bottom ash from the energy to waste plant at Newhaven to Brentford where the material is processed into aggregates for use in construction. The train that delivers the ash will then be reloaded with recycled aggregates for distribution from Newhaven, providing a two-way rail movement of bulk products and further increasing the environmental benefits of the rail service.

Nick Sadler, operations director at Day Group, said: “The strong relationship with DB Cargo is essential to our business and the flexibility of DB Cargo to meet the changing requirements of the South East construction market was key to the renewal of our contract.”

David Fletcher, head of construction at DB Cargo UK, said: “We are delighted that the long relationship between DB Cargo and Day Group has been renewed for another decade and we look forward to continuing to play a key part in the construction supply chain. The contract also strengthens DB Cargo UK’s market leading position.”