Month: January 2020

GB Railfreight joins calls for HS2 to be approved in open letter to PM

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

GB Railfreight is calling for the Government to approve the construction of HS2 and to focus on the long-term benefits the project will deliver to not just the North, but for the country and the economy as a whole.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the UK’s biggest rail freight operating companies, including GB Railfreight, have called for the Government to commit to high-speed rail and finally green light the project, a whole decade after it was originally proposed.

The letter also highlights the importance of rail freight in tackling climate change. With the Government committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and hosting the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow later this year, HS2 represents a unique opportunity to decarbonise much of the transport network.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, and a signatory of the open letter, said:

“Cancelling HS2 would result in the loss of jobs, investment and faith in the deliverability of large-scale infrastructure projects. Regional connectivity needs to be fully supported and it is especially important for the rail freight sector, as it helps unlock routes and opportunities for businesses to choose rail over road freight.”

“Delivering HS2 will, in the long term, support the UK’s regional cities and towns to prosper and connect to other surrounding areas. The Government should move quickly to green light the project rather than delay even further.”

GB Railfreight Raise £184,517 for Charity

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

GB Railfreight are thrilled to announce that staff have raised £184,517 for Headway – the brain injury association, and Macmillan Cancer Support. Fundraising ran from January 2018 and ended in December 2019.

Over the past decade, GBRf has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for national and local charities. These charities change periodically but are always chosen by GBRf employees and are often linked with railway personnel. Headway and Macmillan have been GBRf’s chosen charities since 2018.

The two charities do incredible work in their respective fields with Macmillan not only helping with the medical needs of people affected by cancer, but also looking at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, whilst campaigning for better cancer care. Headway works to promote understanding of all aspects of brain injury and provide information, support and services to survivors, their families and carers.

John Smith, Managing Director GBRf, said;

“I am absolutely delighted that once again our brilliant team have managed to raise an incredible amount of money to support the work being undertaken by Headway and Macmillan. These charities are very well deserving of every single penny.

Our employees have been organising all sorts of fundraising events, from bake sales and cycle rides, to the four-day charity charter and the pump trolley challenge. I am always impressed by the lengths GBRf colleagues will go to for a good cause.”

 Jo Plant, Director of Fundraising at Headway, said:

“We would like to say a massive thank you to GB Railfreight and its staff for all their efforts over the past two years. To raise more than £90,000 is an incredible achievement and we are so grateful to everyone who contributed, either by directly donating or by giving up their time.  

Every year around 350,000 people are admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury. That’s one every 90 seconds. That’s why receiving the support of charity partner’s like GB Railfreight is vital to us.

The funds it raised will enable our frontline services to help so many people living with the effects of brain injury across the UK. Thank you!”

 Leena Sirpal, Regional Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“A huge thank you to GB Railfreight for raising an incredible amount of money for Macmillan Cancer Support. This will go such a long way to help so many people living with cancer.

With the number of people living with cancer in UK continuing to rise, the work we do at Macmillan is more urgent than ever. We are extremely grateful for the support from GB Railfreight.”

GB Railfreight delighted to announce the return of its four-day ‘Charity Railtour’

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

GBRf Charity Railtours, the fundraising arm of GB Railfreight, is excited to announce that it will return in 2020 with another 4-day charity rail tour, the third such event since 2016.

From 24 September to 27 September 2020 the organisation will be raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. The GBRf train will visit different parts of the country following some of the more interesting routes and will be accompanied by GBRf’s more ‘unusual’ locomotives.

GBRf had decided to retire its tours in 2018. However, after much-admired colleague Des O’Brien passed away at relatively short notice having suffered an aggressive stomach cancer in 2018 and in June 2019 Paul Taylor was also diagnosed with prostate cancer, the team at GBRf decided restart the tours with the strapline: “This Time it’s Personal”.

Commenting on the decision to organise the Charity Railtour, GBRf Managing Director John Smith said:

“After GBRf 2018, the team behind these trains took some time to reflect and opted against doing another. Then, following the sudden passing of our colleague Des and the diagnosis of Paul Taylor with prostate cancer, the team decided it was time to return the tours in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, which is also our charity of choice for our company-wide fundraising efforts.

 “We are absolutely delighted to be returning these incredibly popular tours and we will be hoping to raise even more money than before for Prostate Cancer UK because for us, this issue is personal.”

More details will be announced in February before a full announcement of the itinerary in March 2020. Bookings will open in early April, and the release date will be announced in advance.

GB Railfreight calls on Government to follow through with ‘levelling up’ commitment and deliver HS2

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

With the future of HS2 to be decided next month, GB Railfreight Managing Director John Smith is urging both Government and industry to focus on the long-term benefits the project will deliver to not just the North, but for a cross section of UK businesses.

It has taken ten years of expert design and development, Parliamentary scrutiny, and public consultation to get to this point. Delivering such a large and crucial infrastructure scheme is no easy feat.

Commenting on the National Audit Office’s progress update, published today (Friday 24 January), John Smith said: “Cancelling HS2 would result in the loss of jobs, investment and faith in the deliverability of large-scale infrastructure projects.

 “Regional connectivity needs to be fully supported and it is especially important for the rail freight sector, as it helps unlock routes and opportunities for businesses to choose rail over road freight.”

HS2 will be the first new railway constructed north of London for over a century, creating much needed capacity and connections across the North and Midlands. For GBRf there is no other viable alternative to the project.

Smith said: “If the Government takes the decision to pull the plug on HS2 now it will have a considerable negative impact on UK construction firms; the construction industry; young people starting their careers in construction and on the railways; and for rail freight which provides sustainable transport logistics.”

Businesses across the UK have delivered significant investment in preparation for work on the HS2 to start. Nearly 2,000 business have worked on the project and 9,000 people are already employed directly or indirectly by the scheme.

GB Railfreight employs over 900 people across the UK with a major centre of operations in Doncaster, and has been preparing to support construction logistics, including removing spoil and waste, and delivering inbound materials

John Smith added:  “Many young people have made education and career choices around work starting on the scheme soon, opting to studying at the National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure in Doncaster and Birmingham in the expectation of doing their bit to deliver the UK’s most ambitious infrastructure project for a generation.

“While some critics are pushing for investment to be diverted to local commuter routes, without HS2 there won’t be the additional employment opportunities and business investment.

 “Delivering HS2 will, in the long term, support the UK’s regional cities and towns to prosper and connect to other surrounding areas. The Government should move quickly to green light the project rather than delay even further.”