Category: News
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GB Railfreight announces major new investment in Peterborough
GB Railfreight (GBRf), operator of Rail Freight Services across the UK and employer of over 1,000 staff, is pleased to announce the investment of £4.7m into new maintenance depot in Peterborough alongside the East Coast Mainline.
The depot – which is being built by Cairn Cross Engineering – will create around 60 jobs in the local area during construction and a further 20 permanent jobs when the project completes next Summer. This continues GBRf’s sustained investment in Peterborough and Eastern England following construction of its new £3 million Peterborough HQ last year. The depot is scheduled to open next summer
The depot’s construction formally began this morning at 9am with a ground breaking event taking place at the GBRf House, Peterborough. Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald (Leader of Peterborough City Council) was in attendance, in addition to John Smith (Chief Executive Officer, GB Railfreight) and Phil Williamson (Managing Director, Cairn Cross Engineering).
The state-of-art maintenance hub will play a vital role in GBRf’s ambitions to improve safety and reliability across its wagon fleet, using smart sensor technology to quickly analyse wagon conditions and identify faults much earlier quickly and accurately. Through this work, the new Peterborough maintenance hub will support GB Railfreight’s ambitious growth plans as it works up to running 75 intermodal services a day by 2025.
John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said:
“We are delighted to be strengthening our presence in Peterborough with the construction of our new maintenance hub. Peterborough was a natural choice of location following the opening of our headquarters – GBRf House – here last year. The city is also one of the most important points on the East Coast Mainline and has a long and illustrious connection to the country’s railways.
“We hope that the hub will provide the local community with new opportunities through high quality jobs and training schemes. This in turn will help bring through a new generation of talent in the rail freight industry, which will be vital to delivering the sector’s continued success.”
Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, Leader of Peterborough City Council, said:
“This is a welcome investment to Peterborough and one which will create many new jobs for our residents and improve the flow of goods on the city’s rail-line. It also proves – once again – that Peterborough is the ideal place for investment.”
David Golding, Asset Director, GB Railfreight, said:
“The Peterborough maintenance hub is a major investment into the sector and will form an integral part of our infrastructure long into the future. Our ability to service wagons quickly will also allow us to deliver an even more reliable service to our customers, and support GB Railfreight’s growth aspirations.”
Phil Williamson, Managing Director, Cairn Cross Engineering Ltd, said:
“Cairn Cross is delighted to have secured this project in partnership with GBRf at the Peterborough maintenance hub. The project will significantly improve the efficiency of rail freight maintenance in Eastern England.”
GB Railfreight donates Class 66 nameplate in support of Railway Benefit Fund
GB Railfreight donates Class 66 nameplate in support of Railway Benefit Fund
In celebration of 60 years of Modern Railways Magazine, GB Railfreight named a Class 66 locomotive ‘Modern Railways – Diamond Jubilee’, marking the retirement of No 66745’s decade long nameplates ‘Modern Railways – the first 50 years’.
The new name was unveiled as part of a special HST railtour to the Severn Valley Railway marking the anniversary, and the naming formed part of the event to raise money for the Railway Benefit Fund. To support the cause further, at the end of October Modern Railways auctioned one of the GBRf nameplates that honoured their first 50 years, raising £2,100. This will be added to the funds raised from the railtour, with the final total to be announced next week at Modern Railways’ EXPO show at Milton Keynes by CrossCountry Managing Director Tom Joyner and RBF President Pete Waterman.
Railway Benefit Fund is an industry charity, supporting current and former railway employees through a variety of problems, offering financial assistance, practical help and wide-ranging advice. Those interested in bidding on the plates in support of the work carried out by the charity can find out more here about the auction.
Pete Waterman, President of the Railway Benefit Fund said: “We are so grateful for the support of our friends at Modern Railways and GB Railfreight for auctioning this anniversary nameplate. The money raised will allow us to support even more of our railway family and colleagues in need of a helping hand during these tough times. Your support is appreciated more than ever as demand for our services increases.”
Philip Sherratt, Editor of Modern Railways Editor said: ‘We had a fantastic outing to the Severn Valley Railway and are hugely grateful to everyone who supported the event. We are particularly grateful to GBRf for marking our anniversary with a new naming and for kindly donating the plates which have been removed from No 66745. The £2,100 this generated is a fantastic addition to the total we have already raised for RBF during the railtour.’
John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said: “It was a pleasure to be a part of Modern Railways’ 60th anniversary celebrations, and donate this nameplate to be auctioned for a great cause. The Railway Benefit Fund provides much needed support through tough times for the people of our industry, and we are proud to be supporting them as they continue to make a genuine difference to people’s lives.”
ENDS
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 expected to exceed £225 million in 2021. GB Railfreight is one of the fastest growing companies in the railway sector and transports goods for a wide range of customers.
For further information, please contact:
Jonathan Dobson, Head of Public Affairs – 07739 035400
Visit www.gbrailfreight.com
Caledonian Sleeper names engine in honour of Railway Heritage Trust
Caledonian Sleeper names engine in honour of Railway Heritage Trust
Caledonian Sleeper has today named one of the engines which powers its iconic cross border service in honour of the Railway Heritage Trust. Intended as a token of thanks for supporting the company’s major restoration project at Perth Station.
A listed building that dates back to 1848, Perth Station was designed on a grand scale in keeping with the Tudor Gothic style of the time. However, in 2018 the vast size of the station meant that many rooms were lying empty.
Caledonian Sleeper restored the interior décor of an unused waiting area to create a luxury guest lounge for its passengers as well as a staff training centre, breathing fresh life into the area and bringing it back into service. The Railway Heritage Trust provided a generous grant to help fund the refurbishment.
In recognition of this support, Caledonian Sleeper has teamed up with GB Railfreight, which operates the fleet of Class 92 engines that help power the company’s iconic overnight rail service, to name one of the engines in honour of the Trust. A plaque was unveiled on the engine at London Euston today to mark the occasion.
John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said:
“We share the Railway Heritage Trust’s ambition to protect the UK’s historic railway network while modernising the vital infrastructure we all rely on.
“Given the cultural significance of Perth Station, we’re grateful for the support they’ve provided to Caledonian Sleeper and are proud to have one of our Class 92 locos carry the Trust’s nameplates.”
Kathryn Darbandi, Serco’s Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said:
“We’re honoured to be naming one of the Class 92’s after the Railway Heritage Trust and proud to have worked with the Trust on our restoration project at Perth Station.
“It’s incredibly important that we protect the heritage features of the UK’s iconic railway network, while also ensuring the network is fit for use in the 21st Century, so it can be enjoyed for many years to come.”
Andy Savage, Deputy Chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, added:
‘We are deeply grateful to Caledonian Sleeper and to GB Railfreight for allowing one of their Class 92 engines to carry the Railway Heritage Trust name.
“The Railway Heritage Trust operates across the whole of the Network Rail system, and it is appropriate that a locomotive that operates on the longest-distance services on the network carries our name to such a wide range of locations.”