Life of former inspector of railways celebrated with freight train named in his honour

GB Railfreight and the Office of Rail and Road has honoured the last Royal Engineer officer to be appointed a HM Railway Inspector, Major John Poyntz, by naming a freight train after him.

GB Railfreight’s Class 66 train – 66764 – will take the name of the former inspector, who died in November 2020 aged 82.

His life was celebrated at industry event, Rail Live, today (16 June) where the unveiling was announced in front of a socially distanced crowd.

Major John Poyntz was in the army for 35 years, serving with the Royal Engineers and later the Royal Corps of Transport.

After military service, he joined the Railway Inspectorate – now part of the Office of Rail and Road – a move he viewed as an honour and privilege.

He was the last Royal Engineer to take such route, spending 25 years in the role as a Railway Inspector. His work included inspections of heritage railways and dealing with accidents and incidents such as the Severn tunnel rail accident and the Cannon Street rail crash both in 1991.

Ian Prosser, HM Chief Inspector of Railways at ORR, said:

“His enthusiasm for anything on the railways was unparalleled and he would often be seen with a notebook in hand, while looking from a train window.

“It was a privilege to have got to know him and he remains greatly missed. I am pleased to donate this name plate on behalf of ORR and thank GB Railfreight for offering its locomotive to place this commemorative plaque, and have his name etched in the railways.”

GBRf Managing Director John Smith said:

“Major John Poyntz had a very special connection to the railway throughout his established and celebrated career.

“Working with ORR, we’re proud to see his legacy continue by naming a Class 66 locomotive in his honour. After today, the loco carrying his name will be supporting the movement of crucial rail freight across the network.

“A fitting tribute to Major John who dedicated so much of his time for country and the railways.”

GBRf runs first Stanton Gate service since 2009 for Ward

GB Railfreight, one of the UK’s leading transport companies and the fastest growing rail freight operator, operated the first loaded freight service from Stanton Gate since 2009 on behalf of Ward.

GBRf reacted to a late notice demand from Ward and was asked to transport in excess of 1400 tonnes of fragmented steel to Immingham Dock. Previous trials had been run at the site to prove the ability to transport bulks services following significant infrastructure work.

The site at Stanton Gate was recently acquired by Verdant Regeneration, a joint venture between Ward and Trust Utility Management. The team has plans to transform the former steel works – one of the largest potential development sites in the East Midlands – into a thriving national distribution, logistics and rail freight hub for the Midlands, to be called New Stanton Park.

The service is further proof of GBRf’s reliable and resilient customer service, which once again delivered for its commercial partners at a moment’s notice. Having already run trials to prove its credentials, the GBRf team showed how it can turn around services such as this in a short space of time and that it will stop at nothing to meet customer demands.

Carl Kent, Head of Sales at GB Railfreight, said:

“The acquisition of such a large site by Verdant JV will help breathe new life into the local area and we hope further opportunities for sustainable freight by rail. The commitment that Ward have shown to developing new rail freight has been impressive and we have worked with them to promptly respond to their demand. If all parties involved are committed and work collaboratively, there is no reason at all that new to rail freight activity from dormant freight estate need take many months or years to deliver.”

Commenting on the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail White Paper, published today, John Smith, Managing Director at GB Railfreight, said:

“We welcome the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail and appreciate the warm words used to describe rail freight – correctly identified as having played a crucial role in keeping food and medical supplies moving during the pandemic as well as being key to building back better.

“As the Williams Review found, the rail sector lacks clear strategic direction. While we would have preferred a freight specific guiding mind, we welcome the government’s intent that the new Great British Railway body will have a statutory duty to promote rail freight. Within this context it is vital that our access to the network is given long term security as soon as possible. 

“However we remain of the belief that our sector needs a Freight Evangelist to champion it within GBR and across Whitehall. The benefits of rail freight are there for all to see, and we hope they will be recognised by GBR once it has been set up. Hopefully such an individual will be placed in post within the GBR organisation.

“We look forward to playing our part in shaping in the future of the railways including working with GBR and the Department for Transport on the Whole Industry 30-year Strategic Plan that will be set out in the coming months as announced in the White Paper.”

GBRf calls for the appointment of a ‘Freight Evangelist’ as Rail White Paper is published

GB Railfreight, one of the UK’s leading transport companies and the fastest growing rail freight operator, has called for the appointment of a new dedicated rail freight ‘guiding mind’ to steer the sector through the next phase in order to assure future growth, particularly following the COVID-19 crisis.

The new position, which will oversee all rail freight operations, is expected to be unveiled with the publication of the long-awaited Rail White Paper this week, in what looks set to be the biggest shake-up of the UK’s railways since privatisation in the 1990s.

GB Railfreight is calling for the new ‘Freight Evangelist’ to sign up to its Freight Manifesto, a five-point plan outlining of proposed measures which will ensure the sector can continue to grow and support the UK economy, while also putting the industry as a whole on a path towards sustainability.

The five-point plan is calling for the new Evangelist to:

1. Champion the economic value of freight, so that it is put on an equal footing with passenger services;
2. Put decarbonisation at the heart of their plan for the sector, in order to champion the ongoing modal shift from road to rail;
3. Enforce an access regime that is reliable and fair to allow operators to deliver for their customers;
4. Deliver investment that is freight specific, notably on electrification and improvements to critical infrastructure that unlocks freight capacity;
5. Take an integrated national perspective, but also devolve powers over operations to the regions to ensure the smooth running of services across the country.

John Smith, Managing Director at GB Railfreight, said:

“We are at a critical point in the rail sector’s future. The decisions in the White Paper this week will have long-lasting consequences on all aspects, including rail freight. For this reason, GBRf is calling for the appointment of a dedicated ‘Freight Evangelist’ that can guide the sector into the next phase of our development.

“What rail freight needs now is parity of esteem with passenger services, and we need a voice round the table that can make the case for us. We have kept going during the pandemic, showing that we are an integral part of the UK economy. Rail freight also has an important role to play in reaching net zero emissions – it is right our voices are heard, both within Network Rail and across Whitehall.

“Today’s Freight Manifesto is a list of demands of the new guiding mind which will ensure rail freight can play its full part in shaping the future of the UK’s railways and put the economy on track to reach net zero by 2050.”