GB Railfreight And The Worshipful Company Of Paviors Christen ‘The Pavior’

Posted on September 14, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight, in partnership with The Worshipful Company of Paviors, is today (14th September) pleased to announce the naming of its new locomotive, The Pavior.

The locomotive, number 66758, was christened at a ceremony at Tarmac’s Harper Lane site in Radlett at 12.30pm this afternoon. The loco is named in honour of The Worshipful Company of Paviors, who were historically responsible for the pavements of the City of London, and over the years have been critical to the development of the craft of paving, road making, general construction and infrastructure. Its modern membership includes the leaders of construction in the UK. The loco will be used across the GBRf business and numerous routes going forward.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said of the naming:

“We have always been proud of our longstanding friendship with The Worshipful Society of Paviors, an organisation of such great history and pageantry. We are delighted that GB Railfreight today becomes part of the Paviors’ rich history with the naming of The Pavior, long may our friendship continue.”

Dyfrig James, The Master of The worshipful Company of Paviors said:

“The Paviors are extremely proud to have a locomotive named after them, it is a very significant moment in our 700-year history and demonstrates the close link with the industry of today. Our sincere thanks to GB Raifreight and its CEO John Smith in particular.”

About the Worshipful Society of Paviors
The Paviors are a City of London Livery Company with records dating back to 1276 but now with aims to promote the craft of paving through outreach programmes and fellowship.

For further information, please visit www.paviors.org.uk

GB Railfreight Agrees Sale And Leaseback Of 10 Class 60 Locomotives With Beacon Rail

Posted on August 13, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight (GBRf) is today pleased to announce that it has agreed a sale and long-term leaseback of 10 class 60 locomotives with Beacon Rail, marking the latest expansion of its locomotive fleet. The move continues to underline what an exciting period of growth this is for GBRf, as the company continues to move further into the commodities market, including biomass and aggregate industries.

The new locomotives will enable both higher trailing weights on certain routes, as well as offering greater efficiency. In particular, the increase in the number of locomotives means that there can be further growth on existing contracts, including GBRf’s ‘Flying Dustman’ service in partnership with Biffa. This started back in March, and sees muck taken away from sites in major industrial centres Manchester and Leeds.

John Smith, Managing Director of GBRf, said of the transaction:

“GB Railfreight is thrilled to be in the position to expand our fleet of locos in this way. The move is demonstrative of why GBRf is the UK’s fastest growing rail freight company, and this rate of development will only continue. Many thanks to the team at Beacon Rail for helping to make this expansion a reality.”

Trevor Butler, Senior Director of Lease Originations at Beacon Rail said:

“Beacon Rail is excited to agree this important transaction with our long-standing and valued customer GB Railfreight and to be part of GBRf’s continuing growth.”

GB Railfreight signs Armed Forces Covenant in honour of Armed Forces Day

Posted on June 30, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight signs the Armed Forces Covenant in honour of Armed Forces Day

In honour of Armed Forces Day, on 28th June 2018, GB Railfreight once again showed its ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant represents a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

Through the Covenant, GB Railfreight recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to their business, with GB Railfreight promising to uphold the following commitments:

Proactively demonstrating the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation by promoting the various branches of the military and honouring the sacrifices of serving and retired personnel and their families have made;
Seeking to support the employment of veterans, young and old, and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers at GB Railfreight;
Striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners, recognising through our working practices that special consideration is often required, and providing the flexibility that entails, for instance around spousal deployment;
Seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible, and providing consideration for their spouses in such circumstances;
Offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible, offering opportunities to see the work of GB Railfreight, to hear from our workforce, and to provide backing for events that the units wish to run or take part in;
Aiming to actively participate in Armed Forces Day to commemorate the heroism of our servicemen and women from all branches of the military.

We will publicise these commitments through our literature, and/or on our website, through media engagement, and via our workplace app, Track Chat, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.

GB Railfreight’s signing of the Armed Forces Covenant formalises a history of commitment from the company to supporting the armed forces community. In addition to its employment of ex-services personnel, GB Railfreight has previously renamed two of its Class 66 locomotives ‘Royal Corps of Signals’ and ‘HMS Argyll’, painting them in a special livery and adorning them with crests and insignia.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said of the Covenant:

“Both personally and as a company, we are honoured to now be a business signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. The work that the men and women of our armed forces do could never be fully repaid, but GB Railfreight hopes that through our signing of the Covenant, in a small way we can show our enduring gratitude to the sacrifice that is made on a daily basis by these brave men and women, as well as their families back home.

Ex-servicepeople bring a unique skill set to GB Railfreight, and we look forward to welcoming more heroes to the GB team going forward.”

GB Railfreight wins Elizabeth Line Maintenance Contract

Posted on June 29, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight wins Elizabeth Line Maintenance Contract

GB Railfreight (GBRf) is pleased to announce its success in winning the Elizabeth line Yellow Plant contract, agreeing a five-year deal with the potential for a three-year extension.

The contract will see GBRf operating and maintaining Yellow Plant for Transport for London (TfL) on the newly-built Elizabeth line. Delivering this contract will see GBRf’s involvement in the Crossrail construction project come full circle. In 2012 GBRf supported the Crossrail tunnel excavation, taking London spoil from Westbourne Park to Northfleet. The product ended up on Wallasea Island, creating Europe’s largest man-made wetland nature reserve which supports GBRf’s sustainability goals. Since then, GBRf has been heavily involved in the Elizabeth line tunnel fit-out, supplying up to 27 drivers a day, seven days a week.

The contract is demonstrative of just how far GBRf has come in recent years. Operating and maintaining Yellow Plant sees the company diversify from its traditional business model of ‘hook and haul’, to a more varied business model. This enhances and progresses GBRf’s vision for growth in both its engineering and operations.

John Smith, Managing Director of GBRf said:

“Winning the Elizabeth line Yellow Plant contract is fantastic news. Having been heavily involved with delivery of construction rail services for the project, the award of a longer-term operations and maintenance contract shows just how valued GBRf’s contribution has been. Whilst mainly invisible to those above ground Crossrail is a civil engineering marvel that will transform London’s transport system. I’m extremely proud of GBRf’s involvement with the whole venture.”

Mark Wyborn, GBRf’s Infrastructure General Manager, commented on the deal:

“Winning this contract is great news for GBRf and this paves the way for diversification and sustainability. It is a great opportunity to continue the hard work on the Elizabeth line and knowing that GBRf has contributed to each phase of this huge infrastructure build and will continue to do so, is fantastic for us.”

The contract is expected to begin in September 2018.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

GBRf awards Alstom maintenance contract for Caledonian Sleeper Class 92 locomotives from Wembley depot

Posted on April 17, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GBRf awards Alstom maintenance contract for Caledonian Sleeper Class 92 locomotives from Wembley depot

Alstom has been chosen to provide maintenance support for the Class 92 locomotives that pull the carriages of the Class 92 Caledonian Sleeper service. The locomotives will be maintained at the Alstom Wembley Depot for the next twelve years starting this year, in a contract worth around £15 million.

Alstom will provide full maintenance support for 12 Class 92 locomotives securing employment for a production team of 5 plus a number of support roles at their Wembley Depot.

This new long-term contract, awarded by GB Railfreight (GBRf), will see Alstom expanding their existing portfolio from coach maintenance to managing the maintenance of both carriages and locomotives for the Caledonian Sleeper services. This will continue once the new Sleeper carriages are introduced later this year, streamlining processes and simplifying logistics by providing Serco and GBRf a one-stop shop for maintenance of the entire train.

“It is important the Caledonian Sleeper services are well maintained so that guests can continue to enjoy a highly reliable service and all the benefits the trains offer. Our new contract with GBRf will mean we are responsible for the entire train, delivering seamless maintenance of both locomotives and coaches. It also secures important jobs at our Wembley depot, which is a key train care centre in Alstom’s UK network.” said Nick Crossfield, Managing Director, Alstom UK & Ireland

John Smith, Managing Director of GBRf commented: “The new Caledonian Sleeper service will be a world class journey experience, and the performance of the locomotives is clearly of the highest importance to delivering this service for passengers. We are delighted Alstom will be maintaining the fleet and supporting the delivery of this service.”

David Simpson, Caledonian Sleeper’s Production and Safety Director, said “We welcome this positive news which sees our key partners Alstom and GBRf working even closer together to help us provide a high quality service for our guests. Our service will be transformed later this year with the introduction of a new fleet of sleeper coaches, and this will help to deliver the highest standards of maintenance on our locomotives and coaches.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

About Alstom UK
Alstom has been part of the rail industry in the UK for over a century. We provide the widest range of solutions in the market, from high-speed trains, metros and tramways to maintenance, infrastructure and signalling. In 2017 Alstom opened the UK’s largest and most sophisticated new centre for train modernisation, in Widnes.

About Alstom Global
As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom develops and markets systems, equipment and services for the transport sector. Alstom offers a complete range of solutions (from high-speed trains to metros, tramways and e-buses), passenger solutions, customised services (maintenance, modernisation), infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions. Alstom is a world leader in integrated transport systems. The company recorded sales of €7.3 billion and booked €10.0 billion of orders in the 2016/17 fiscal year. Headquartered in France, Alstom is present in over 60 countries and employs 32,800 people. www.alstom.com

About Serco
Transport Scotland awarded Serco the contract to manage and operate the new and prestigious Caledonian Sleeper franchise in 2014. The franchise, over the 15-year contract period, began on the night of 31st March 2015 and Serco took over the management of all aspects of the Sleeper service including marketing, sales, the on-train hospitality service, vehicle maintenance and the provision of facilities at stations for Sleeper passengers. www.sleeper.scot

Wizard show help guide dogs for the blind

Posted on March 31, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

Leanne Buckley, GBRf’s Peterborough-based Locomotive Fleet Planner called on the Wizard of OBS to help her dance school put on a whizz of a show to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Leanne joined the Vera Frances School of Dance a year ago, just as it was to put on a three-night production of the Wizard of Oz. Everyone involved with the school was asked for sponsorship suggestions and Leanne asked GBRf for support to cover the cost of producing the programme.

“We wanted every penny to go to the charity,” explained Leanne, who had landed the part of an Emerald City Guard. “With GBRf’s help we managed to smash our target and beat previous shows by quite a margin.”

GB Railfreight and Biffa christen “The Flying Dustman”

Posted on March 28, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight and Biffa christen “The Flying Dustman”

Today (Wednesday 28th March) GB Railfreight (GBRf) and Biffa, the waste management company, christen locomotive 66 783 “The Flying Dustman”, to mark the partnership between the two firms. The locomotive has also been painted red in honour of Biffa, rather than the usual blue seen on most of GBRf’s other locomotives.

“The Flying Dustman” was chosen following a naming competition amongst Biffa staff, who were keen to pay light-hearted homage to the historic passenger train service, “The Flying Scotsman”.

The locomotive, which will haul waste on routes across the UK, was named at a ceremony on platform 7 at York station at 2.45pm this afternoon. The locomotive was officially named by John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight and Ian Wakelin, CEO of Biffa.

Mr Smith said:

“We are delighted that GBRf are bringing a sense of fun to the industry with today’s naming. It could not be more fitting name for our collaboration with Biffa, one of the UK’s leading waste management companies, and we look forward to working together over the coming years.”

Mick Davis, Managing Director of Resource Recovery & Treatment Division at Biffa, said:

“The launch of “The Flying Dustman” is an exciting development for Biffa. The partnership with GBRf marks another step forward in our strategy to develop our waste management infrastructure and innovate our customer offering. By increasing the mobility of inactive waste, rail transportation will enhance our service offerings from our existing landfill network whilst also providing significant environmental benefits compared to road transportation. We look forward to working with GBRf over the years to come.”

The locomotive will be seen around the whole of the UK, hauling all kinds of freight from waste and biomass to intermodal.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

For further information, please visit www.gbrailfreight.com.

About Biffa
Biffa is a leading UK-based integrated waste management business. The Group operates across the breadth of the waste management value chain, including the collection, treatment, processing and disposal of waste and recyclable materials, as well as related work in the production and sale of energy derived from waste and the sale of recovered commodities such as paper, glass, metals and plastic. Biffa’s customer base for these services includes local authorities (which includes the collection of waste from households), large corporates and SMEs, and purchasers of end-product commodities and energy. Across its operations, the Group managed approximately 3.3mT of waste in Fiscal Year 2017. The Group’s services are organised across four operating divisions: Industrial & Commercial; Municipal; Resource Recovery & Treatment (RR&T); and Energy. In Fiscal Year 2017, the Group’s total revenue was £990.4 million and its underlying EBITDA was £137.7 million. Biffa was successfully admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities in October 2016 under the ticker “BIFF”.

For further information, please visit www.biffa.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact biffa@onlybeattie.com / 0161 870 9876

GB Railfreight’s Duncan Clark Joins Rail Freight Group’s Board of Directors

Posted on March 19, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight’s Duncan Clark Joins Rail Freight Group’s Board of Directors

GB Railfreight (GBRf) announces that Duncan Clark, our Director of Strategic Development, has been appointed to the Rail Freight Group (RFG) Board of Directors.

Duncan has a wealth of experience of the rail freight sector. He has been with GBRf since 2015 and looks after GBRf’s network capacity, business performance, major projects, business implantation, business improvement, sales, sales strategy, and external communications. Before joining GBRf he spent twelve months as Programme Director in the Digital Railway at Network Rail and before that was NR’s General Manager of Freight.

On his new position, Duncan said:

“I am honoured to have been appointed to this position and there can be no more important time for the voice of the rail freight sector to be strongly represented. The next Control Period, which Network Rail is in the process of agreeing with the Government, could be pivotal for the future competitiveness of rail freight. The RFG must ensure that it puts across the views of the sector and that it achieves the outcomes that will be best for all who operate on the railways.”

GBRf’s Managing Director, John Smith, said:

“Duncan is a worthy addition to the board and will bring all his extensive experience and no-nonsense approach to the RFG so that the group is as effective as it can be. We are extremely lucky to have him here at GBRf, and it is great to see that the rest of the industry will soon be able to benefit from his insights.

RFG is the leading representative body for rail freight in the UK, with a membership which includes some of the biggest names in logistics along with many smaller companies, all of which contribute to the success of rail freight. They are playing a vital role in the development of CP6, the next Network Rail funding period which will run from 2019-24, and GBRf is pleased to be able to contribute to this work.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

About GB Railfreight
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom, GB Railfreight is the third largest rail freight operator in the United Kingdom, with a turnover in excess of GBP 120m. GB Railfreight is one of the fastest growing companies in the railway sector and transports goods for a wide range of customers.

GB Railfreight raises £160,000 for good causes in 2017

Posted on January 31, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight raises £160,000 for good causes in 2017

Staff at GB Railfreight (GBRf) spent 2017 raising money for three charities and on Saturday (27th January 2018) it was time to hand over the fruits of their efforts, with the worthy causes splitting £160,000 between them. Over the year, members from all levels of GBRf’s team embarked on a charity train tour, bike rides, half marathons, netball tournaments, football games, dress down days, cake sales, calendar sales and raised money from staff collections on away days.

Speaking on the efforts of his team, John Smith, GBRf’s managing director and parent company Hector Rail’s chief executive, said:

“I could not be prouder of my team for all their efforts during 2017 to raise money for these most worthy of causes. We hope that these sums will go some way towards helping them continue to fund their activities in 2018. They all do such amazing work, both in terms of national challenges, and for local communities that it has been our privilege to be able to associate ourselves with them.”

Speaking on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, the UK’s leading charity fighting to end heart disease which received £100,000 from GBRf’s fundraising efforts Sarah Miller said:

“We have been really impressed with all of the fundraising activities GBRf has gotten involved in…. We aim to invest £100 million into research every year to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, and it’s thanks to companies like GBRf that we are able to do this…thank you for the time, the energy and the commitment you have all put into helping us continue our life saving work.”

The Ripple Project, which received £30,000, is based in Edinburgh and is a community-based venture that provides a variety of services to people of all ages, including youth mentoring, a local newspaper, and lunch clubs for elderly residents. In addition, its volunteers run the Hub Grub Café, which enables local people to come together and socialise over a cup of coffee and a cake. Speaking on the donation from GBRf, Fiona Cross of The Ripple Project said:

“You are a gift to the community, and your money had real impact in our charity…and our projects”

Also receiving £30,000 was Woking Homes, which aims to provide a secure, relaxed and homely environment in which the care, wellbeing and comfort of residents are of prime importance. They provide residential care for people who have worked in the railway industry and their spouses, from train drivers and ticket collectors to engineers, guards, and booking office staff.

Sarah Kemp, chief executive of Woking Homes said:

“We are very grateful for the generosity of GBRf staff, which has enabled us to replace our ageing minibus: the new one has the GBRf logo proudly displayed. It is also very important to us to ensure that the rail community as a whole is aware of the services we provide.”

GBRf will be continuing its fundraising efforts over the course of 2018 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Headway, a charity supporting those with brain injuries.

John Smith commented:

“Macmillan Cancer and Headway are both deeply personal charities for us, with various staff members having experience of the challenges they are seeking to address. I know everyone at GBRf is looking forward to doing their bit to ensure we raise as much, if not more, for our charity partners this year.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

Notes to editors

This press release was amended from the version that was sent out to correct an earlier error in the description of Woking Homes. GBRf is happy to make this clarification.

About GB Railfreight
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom, GB Railfreight is the third largest rail freight operator in the United Kingdom, with a turnover in excess of GBP 120m. GB Railfreight is one of the fastest growing companies in the railway sector and transports goods for a wide range of customers.For more information about GBRf’s 2017 charity partners, visit www.bhf.org.uk, http://rippleproject.co.uk/ripple-services/get-involved/, and http://www.woking-homes.co.uk/.
For more about GBRf’s 2018 charity partners, visit www.macmillan.org.uk and www.headway.org.uk.

GB Railfreight MD to lead parent group

Posted on January 4, 2018January 9, 2023 by plongf4

GB Railfreight MD to lead parent group

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight (GBRf) has been appointed the new CEO of parent company Hector Rail Group and will assume his new role and responsibilities from Monday 8th January 2018.

Commenting on this appointment, Bo Lerenius, Hector Rail’s chairman said:

“With a solid background of developing and growing companies, John Smith has full insight of the challenges and opportunities that Hector Rail Group currently faces. The board is confident that John’s clear customer perspective and strong leadership will drive Hector Rail Group to become the leading independent pan-European rail freight operator.”

John Smith added:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to build on what we started with GBRf, and to bring the knowledge that I have gained to our parent company. I plan to take that knowledge to Hector Rail, to continue to demonstrate the importance of rail freight in sustainable economic growth. I feel there are significant opportunities at closer co-operation between the operators across Europe, and I hope to be the voice for that effort.”

Duncan Clark, GBRf’s strategic development director, said:

“We are all obviously delighted for John that he is being given this opportunity, and believe this is a great chance for the good practice that GBRf has developed over the years to be implemented with Hector Rail. We are sure that he will make excellent use of this chance to cement his position as the pre-eminent spokesman for the rail freight sector in the UK, and become its leader across Europe.”

John Smith founded GB Railfreight in 1999 and is the company’s Managing Director. He has over 40 years of experience from the rail industry, including various leading positions at British Rail and Anglia Railways.

Founded in 2004, Hector Rail is a Swedish-based independent train haulage provider for the European rail transport market. They produce approximately 7.2m train km/year in operations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany.

They provide modern rail solutions with the highest quality and performance, creating value for customers through innovative and efficient solutions. Clients include industrial shippers, forwarders, intermodal operators, and traditional railway companies.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Westbourne Communications
020 3397 0100
GBRF@westbournecoms.com

For further information about GB Railfreight, please visit www.gbrailfreight.com
For further information about Hector Rail Group, please visit www.hectorrail.com