GB Railfreight
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| Industry | Rail |
|---|---|
| Predecessor(s) | First GBRf (2003-2010) GB Railfreight (1999-2003) |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Number of locations | 12 |
| Key people | Managing Director: John Smith |
| Services | Freight train operator |
| Owner(s) | Eurotunnel Group |
| Parent | Europorte |
| Website | www.gbrailfreight.com |
GB Railfreight[1] is a freight train operating company in the United Kingdom. It is owned by Eurotunnel Europorte.
History
GB Railfreight was founded in 1999 by GB Railways.[2] Unlike competitors DB Schenker and Freightliner, the company was not formed from parts of the privatised British Railways freight sectors.
In August 2003 GB Railways was purchased by FirstGroup and GB Railfreight was rebranded First GBRf.[3]
In November 2004 First GBRf began operating Royal Mail services using Class 325s.[4] This was later extended until 2010.[5][6]
In May 2010 FirstGroup put the business up for sale. Eurotunnel, Freightliner and SNCF were reported as being interested in the company.[7] The company was acquired by Europorte a subsidiary of the Eurotunnel on 1 June 2010 for £26.3 million.[8] Following the acquisition by Europorte, the company reverted back to its original name and a revised version of the original livery.
Fleet
The Class 08 shunters are used for shunting work in the GB Railfreight depots.
The Class 66 fleet is used on the main freight flows and the five Metronet liveried Class 66s are also employed on London Underground maintenance. GB Railfreight Class 66s were also hired to Fastline Freight to operate their coal flows until their own Class 66s had been delivered. In October 2012 three unused Class 66s stabled in Holland were purchased.[9] GBRF's 66734 has also been written-off after it was involved in a serious derailment at Loch Treig while operating the 6S45 North Blyth to Fort William Alcan Tanks on Thursday 28 June 2012.
GB Railfreight use their Class 73 fleet in the south on engineering trains and other work such as empty coaching stock moves for passenger operators.
GB Railfreight has a number of Class 92 locomotives acquired by Europorte before the purchase of GB Railfreight.
GB Railfreight has several Class 20s for use on London Underground S Stock deliveries and Rail Head Treatment Trains. It currently hires nine from various owners including Harry Needle Railroad Company with possibly a further three joining the fleet.[citation needed] Two have been repainted in GBRf livery.
GB Railfreight also has a pair of refurbished Vanguard 0-6-0DH locos (re-numbered DH50-1 and DH50-2) for use at Tremorfa/Cardiff Tidal works[10]
Locations
GB Railfreight has 12 locations along the eastern side of England. The Headquarters is at 15-25 Artillery Lane, London. The other eleven locations which GB Railfreight own or serve are:[11]
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Port of Felixstowe, Felixstowe, Suffolk
- Ferne Park, Harringay, London
- Hull Docks, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
- Mountfield, East Sussex
- North Walsham, Norfolk
- Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
- Tonbridge, Kent
- Tyne Dock, South Shields
SSI Redcar, Teesside
In February 2011, GB Railfreight also took over the workings of Cardiff Tidal/Tremorfa/Celsa in South-East Wales.[12]
Services
The company operates several different types of freight traffic.
- New Daily Intermodal service from Felixstowe to Manchester
- 3 daily Intermodal services from Felixstowe to Hams Hall
- Intermodal traffic from Felixstowe to Selby
- Intermodal traffic from Felixstowe to Doncaster
- Gypsum traffic in northern and southern England with a new service starting to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
- Infrastructure maintenance trains in East Anglia and South-East England as well as a Loaded Rail service from Scunthorpe to Wellingborough
- Withdrawn and stored stock movements
- New stock delivery movements for Angel Trains and Bombardier Transportation
- Maintenance and operation of snowploughs in East Anglia and South East England
- Operation of engineering trains for Transport for London on nine of the twelve London Underground lines
- First GBRf entered the coal market in 2007 and operates coal trains between Tyne Dock and Redcar to Drax Power Station, Immingham to Eggborough, Thoresby and Welbeck to Cottam and West Burton as well as ones between Widdrington and Lynemouth and from Butterwell to Daw Mill
- "Petrochem Carless" tank trains from Parkeston to North Walsham as well as the "Mud Oil" train between Parkeston and Aberdeen
- Aluminium products between Lynemouth and Fort William for Rio Tinto Alcan (previously operated by DB Schenker). In 2011 preserved Deltic 55022 Royal Scots Grey was chartered for working bauxite traffic between Blyth and Lynemouth.[13]
- Operation of deicing trains over the former Southern Region using Network Rail deicing vehicles and GB Railfreight's fleet of Class 73s
- Operation of Whitemoor Yard for Network Rail
- Operation of Petroleum service from Immingham to Cardiff's Queen Alexandra Dock[14]
- Operation of Cardiff Tidal/Tremorfa Works from February 2011[12]
Fleet details
| Class | Image | Type | Introduced | Fleet Size | Wheel Arr | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 08 |  |
Shunter | 1953 | 2 | 0-6-0 | 08925, 08934[15] |
| Class 09 | Shunter | 1959 | 2 | 0-6-0 | 09002, 09009[15] | |
| Class 20 | 20 | Diesel locomotive | 1957-1968 | 9 | Bo-Bo | 20096, 107, 142, 189, 227 311, 314, 901, 905[15] |
| Class 66 |  |
Diesel locomotive | 2002 | 48 | Co-Co | 66701-733, 735-749[15] |
| Class 73 |  |
Electro-diesel locomotive | 1966 | 10 | Bo-Bo | 73119, 141, 204-209, 212-213[15] |
| Class 92 |  |
Electric locomotive | 1993 | 7 | Co-Co | 92020, 021, 032, 040, 044-046[15] |
| Vanguard 0-6-0DH | Diesel locomotive | 2011 | 2 | DH50-1, DH50-2[15] |
References
- ^ "GB Railfreight Limited 03707899" (extract). Register of Companies (Companies House). http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/03707899. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ Schabas, Michael (October 2003). "Memorandum by GB Railfreight". Hansard. http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmtran/145/145wec03.htm. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "GB Rail Offer Unconditional". Corporate News (Press release). FirstGroup plc. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "Mail to move by rail again". GB Railfreight News (Press release). 18 October 2004. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "GB Railfreight wins Royal Mail contract". GB Railfreight News (Press release). 20 May 2005. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "FirstGBRf wins new contact (sic) with Royal Mail". GB Railfreight News (Press release). 15 June 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ Barnard, Bruce (3 May 2010). "European Rivals Bid for GB Railfreight". The Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "Eurotunnel buys GB Railfreight from FirstGroup". Railway Gazette. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ Dutch 66s for GBRf wnxx.com 23 October 2012
- ^ Trotter, Phil. "Industrial Diesel & Electric Locomotives" (photo gallery annotation). Retrieved 18 October 2012. "GBRf's DH50-1 … to replace ageing class 08s here with reconditioned industrial locomotives; … as rebuild no. 9376 of 2011."
- ^ "GB Railfreight: Locations". GB Railfreight. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ a b Bray, Martin (14 December 2011). "Cardiff Tidal Sidings". Tidal, Margam & Canton. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ Webmaster (10 April 2011). "GB Railfreight hires 55022". Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "GB Railfreight secures Greenergy deal". 20 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g GBRf Fleet Allocation 16/10/12 wnxx.com 16 October 2012
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: GB Railfreight |
- Official website
- "GB Railfreight Home Page". Archived from the original on 19 August 2000., archived website
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