Tarmac

UK-based construction materials provider Tarmac has awarded five-year contracts to four rail freight operators in order to increase the volume of aggregate and other materials it moves by rail.

The four companies include Colas Rail, GB Rail Freight, Freightliner and DB Schenker.

The company currently moves around nine million tonnes of freight a year by rail and is looking to increase rail-borne volumes to meet its aim of reducing transport CO2 emissions by 10% a tonne by 2020.

In addition to expansion of rail freight operations, the contracts also include creating new strategic hubs that will expand its nationwide supply into key construction markets.

"This expansion will also support more efficient, sustainable transport and a lower carbon-built environment."

Tarmac CEO Cyrille Ragoucy said: "An enhanced rail freight network supports our strategic growth plans, building on our current capacity to meet customers’ growing requirements for high-quality construction materials for national and local infrastructure projects.

"This expansion will also support more efficient, sustainable transport and a lower carbon-built environment. We look forward to working with our new partners to implement these contracts."

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Under the new contracts, Colas Rail has been selected for the Dunbar cement works in East Lothian and will operate cement trains from Oxwellmains cement works, which is situated east of Edinburgh at the northern end of the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

GB Railfreight will operate aggregate trains from Swinden, Thrislington and Dry Rigg quarries in northern England, while Freightliner has been awarded a contract for aggregates operations for the Tunstead site in Derbyshire.

DB Schenker Rail will be responsible for operating trains from Mountsorrel quarry near Leicester, as well as trains from terminals at Moreton-on-Lugg, Whatley, Telford, Port Talbot, and in the London area.

Image: Tarmac to increase the volume of aggregate and other materials it moves by rail. Photo: courtesy of Tarmac.

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