GB Railfreight name new locomotive to celebrate major Bescot LDC upgrade

08-10-2021 – GB Railfreight (GBRf) and Network Rail have named a Class 66 locomotive to celebrate the completion of major upgrade works to Bescot Local Distribution Centre (LDC).

The Class 66 locomotive No. 66795 has been named ‘Bescot LDC’ and was unveiled to an audience of GBRf and Network Rail colleagues at the West Midlands-based facility.

In July, GBRf announced it completed major upgrade projects funded by Network Rail worth over £1.5 million aimed at improving vital LDCs in Bescot and Eastleigh.

As part of the major upgrade project for Bescot LDC, GBRf completed a series of works to repair and renew underinvested and unsafe track at the site. This included the removal of abandoned buildings, lighting upgrade works, installation of Armco crash barriers, new safe walking routes and safety steps, and the reinstatement of derelict siding 1 by using recycled rail and sleepers.

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said:

“Today’s naming cements our strong partnership with Network Rail to modernise this important facility. As rail activity grows across the West Midlands, Bescot LDC will play a crucial role in maintaining and renewing the area’s infrastructure.

“I’d like to thank the GBRf Project team who have completed an outstanding job.”

Young HS2 fan names new carbon-friendly freight train

14th September 2021 – A teenage rail fan has today been given the honour of naming a Class 66 locomotive that will transport HS2 construction materials by rail to help reduce carbon emissions.

Jermaine Allen from Leeds unveiled the nameplate for GB Railfreight engine 66796, which he has named ‘The Green Progressor’, at the official opening of HS2’s new 30-acre logistics hub near Willesden Junction in London.

The locomotive features a brand-new livery, promoting the environmental benefits of delivering construction materials by rail instead of road, which inspired the name that Jermaine has chosen.

For every locomotive that HS2 uses to transport aggregates and construction materials, up to 76 lorries are removed from the UK’s roads and motorway network.

On average, around 100 freight trains per week are moving HS2 construction materials across the rail network, which not only makes our roads safer, but also supports HS2’s commitment to reduce the carbon impact of construction by at least 50%, as each tonne of freight transported by rail reduces CO₂ emissions by 76% compared to road.

A self-confessed train fanatic, Jermaine has closely followed the story of HS2’s development and construction since he was five-years-old. Accompanied by his parents, Jermaine has visited several construction sites along the 140-mile route that HS2 will follow between the West Midlands and London Euston, learning about the construction methods that HS2 is adopting in readiness for the arrival of Britain’s high speed railway providing low carbon transport.

Today’s invitation to visit HS2’s new Logistics Hub, which has been constructed and will be operated by HS2’s construction partner, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV), was a dream come true for the 15-year-old. But a special surprise on the day, organised by GB Railfreight and SCS JV, also saw Jermaine unveil a name plate for an engine named after him – a Class 08 shunting locomotive.

Speaking about his experience, Jermaine said:

“It’s great to have this fantastic once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel very privileged to name this locomotive and to be playing a part in the delivery of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project.”

The Green Progressor will transport construction materials, spoil and aggregates to depots right across HS2’s Phase One route between the West Midlands and London. 66796 is one of five Class 66 locomotives imported from Germany by GB Railfreight to provide more capacity for Britain’s growing rail freight sector. It is scheduled to make its maiden journey by the end of the year, once refurbishment works – that will see the locomotive fitted with the latest communications systems – are carried out.

The locomotive’s new livery and the opportunity to extend an invitation to Jermaine to name it was facilitated by HS2’s Conventional Rail Interface Manager, Andrew Graham and GB Railfreight’s CEO, John Smith. Both organisations were keen to highlight the crucial role that transporting materials by freight plays in reducing carbon impacts, while providing the opportunity for a budding rail enthusiast to make his mark in the construction of this once in a lifetime project.

Andrew Graham, Conventional Rail Interface Manager at HS2 Ltd said:

“Jermaine’s passion, enthusiasm and knowledge is simply outstanding and we are delighted to have created this opportunity for him.”

Class 08 shunter ‘Jermaine’ will occupy a permanent base at HS2’s new logistics hub in Willesden where it will move wagons into position ready to transport and receive materials.

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight said:

“It’s wonderful to provide a young rail enthusiast like Jermaine the opportunity to name one of our Class 66 locomotives. By choosing the name, ‘The Green Progressor’, he has truly captured the role rail freight can play in delivering a more sustainable logistics solution for the construction of HS2.

”Working with SCS JV, we were also honoured to celebrate Jermaine’s special connection to our railways by naming a Class 08 shunter after him.”

Over the next decade, up to 15,000 freight trains will haul 10 million tonnes of aggregate to HS2 construction sites, marking a significant investment for Britain’s rail freight sector.

Furthermore, once HS2 opens and moves long-distance, inter-city passenger services on to dedicated high-speed lines, the new railway will free up space for more freight services across the country, as well as additional local and regional passenger trains.

GBRf name new locomotive as King’s Cross project reaches final stage

To celebrate the final closure of the Kings Cross signal box, GB Railfreight, one of the UK’s leading transport companies, named a Class 66 locomotive at the station on 23 April.

The GBRf team has provided engineering trains and supported a project to renew the signalling system and overhead line equipment in the Kings Cross area, as well as simplifying the track layout at London King’s Cross.

As a result, the King’s Cross Power Signal Box has been closed, and the signalling has been recontroled to a state-of-the-art Rail Operating Centre in York. GBRf decided to mark the occasion by renaming the last train which was signalled into the station by the box in its honour.

The King’s Cross Power Signal Box opened in September 1971, after the original signal box built by the LNER in 1932 was closed. All signalling operations moved overnight to the new Kings Cross Power Signal Box situated on the site of the old York Road Station buildings. The original LNER signal-box remained in-situ for another five years before being demolished as part of the electrification scheme and rationalisation of the station track-work.

The new locomotive was named ‘King’s Cross PSB 1971-2021’ to mark this historic day.

John Smith, Managing Director at GB Railfreight, said:

“After 50 years King’s Cross PSB closed its doors with this 66767 being the last loco signalled by the box into King’s Cross station. Quite an honour when you consider all the other famous trains that have come and gone from the place!

“I’d like to thank all those who worked on this project, especially our colleagues at Network Rail who we worked so closely with during these last few months.”

GB Railfreight mark next phase of construction of new office by burying ‘time capsule’ at Peterborough site

GB Railfreight and Lindum took part in a joint event on 30 July to bury a ‘time capsule’ at the site of the new office to mark the next phase of construction.

The time capsule contains a message from GBRf Managing Director John Smith, while Lindum included a photo of the project team and the architect plans for the site. In addition, the team at GBRf put into the capsule copies of a selection of Thursday’s newspapers; a GBRf tie and hi-viz vest; photos of all the GBRf staff involved in the project; the latest NOW CD, a compilation of tracks from 2020;  a ‘price list’ of a selection of items at this time in 2020; a copy of the GBRf 20^th anniversary photo book – the anniversary of which fell last year; the latest copy of GBRf News, the company’s internal magazine; and other GBRf merchandise.

GBRf announced the investment of £3m for a new office and training centre in Peterborough in January having been granted planning permission in December 2019, with Lindum appointed to undertake the construction of the three-storey office building.

Although the opening of the office has slightly been delayed to April 2021, both Lindum and GBRf identified the issues brought by COVID-19 in a timely manner and have safely continued with the development of the site, throughout the pandemic.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight said:

“At the start of the year we announced that, to meet increasing demand for our services, GBRf was expanding operations by investing in new offices and training facilities. Today we take another step towards seeing that turn into reality.

“Today’s ceremony marks a significant moment, and what a year it’s been. When we look back in years to come, we will be able to reflect on what a seismic year 2020 was. Hopefully it will also be the year GBRf truly kicked on and continued to be one of the fastest growing companies in the transport sector, despite the difficulties the UK economy faces at this time.”

General Manager of Lindum Peterborough Darren King said work on the project was going well. He said:

“It’s great to be here today to celebrate how this building is progressing. As a Peterborough-based business, it’s very reassuring to see a power-house company like GBRf recommitting to the city with this kind of investment.

“We are also delighted to be involved in the burial of the time capsule and are grateful to GBRf for inviting us to contribute. One day in the future, it will offer a fascinating insight into life in 2020, which has certainly been a year like no other.

“We have produced a memory stick to be included in the capsule. It includes some information about Lindum, profiles of the project team and an explanation about how this project was affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. It should make for interesting reading one day!”

GB Railfreight are thrilled to announce that longstanding colleague Chris Hopcroft MBE was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at last night’s (27 February) Rail Business Awards ceremony in London.

Managing Director John Smith collected the award on behalf of Chris.

Chris, who started working when he was 16 has spent the last 60 years on the railways, providing outstanding work and dedication to all his roles, most recently as a Train Manager for GBRf. Throughout his long career he has trained up colleagues and passed on vital technical knowledge of operations.

His passion for, and service to, the railways was recognised in 1994 with an MBE for services to the safety of young people. Throughout his career, Chris has worked tirelessly to ensure every job he’s ever had was done to the best of his ability. The commitment that he has demonstrated every day since first starting has shown him to be an exemplary figure and inspired colleagues across the industry.

Now 76, Chris only retired at the end of 2019. To thank him for his years of service, the GBRf team named a loco after him in a special ceremony attended by his family and close friends.

GBRf Managing Director John Smith who collected the award on Chris’s behalf said:

“We are absolutely delighted for Chris and his family that he won the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Rail Business Awards. Having started off at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up, Chris has boundless experience, and knows the sector better than anyone.

“Chris contributed to our industry over a huge period of time, and he has been the consummate professional throughout. He has a reputation in the industry for being a highly reliable and skilled colleague who makes time to pass on his expertise and support modernisation in all aspects of the railway.

“We are incredibly proud of him and this is a fantastic way to end a 60-year career on the railways.”

Chris Hopcroft said:

“I am over the moon for this award. Thank you to the Rail Business Awards and to GB Railfreight for putting my name forward.

“The railways have been my life and I have loved every minute of the last 60 years.  The last 10 years of my career working with GBRf have been the most rewarding of my career. I would like to thank everyone at GBRf for making my last few years on the railways so special.”

GB Railfreight are thrilled to announce the naming of a loco after longstanding colleague Chris Hopcroft MBE on Thursday 5 December.

Managing Director John Smith named a new Class 66 loco after Chris, with the ceremony taking place at Bristol Temple Meads station. Chris, accompanied by his wife and two children, was met by 50 of his closest friends and colleagues.

Chris spent the last 60 years on the railways, providing outstanding work and dedication to all his roles, the most recent as a train manager for GBRf. Throughout his long career he has trained up colleagues and passed on vital technical knowledge of operations.

His passion for, and service to, the railways was recognised in 1994 with an MBE for services to the safety of young people. Throughout his career, Chris has worked tirelessly to ensure every job he’s ever had was done to the best of his ability. The commitment that he has demonstrated every day since first starting has shown him to be an exemplary figure and inspired colleagues across the industry.

GBRf Managing Director John Smith said:

“It was my pleasure to name this Class 66 loco after Chris. Having started off at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up, Chris has boundless experience, and knows the sector better than anyone.

 “As a 42-year railway person, I am a mere beginner when compared to the iconic Chris Hopcroft who has clocked an amazing 60 years. I’m not sure in the modern world that this will ever be bettered. Not only has Chris contributed to our industry over a huge period of time, he has been the consummate professional throughout and has the wonderful habit of reverting to happy when things are going slightly awry.

 “He has a reputation in the industry for being a highly reliable and skilled colleague who makes time to pass on his expertise and support modernisation in all aspects of the railway. We are proud to name this loco after him.”

Chris Hopcroft said:

“This has come as a complete surprise! Words cannot describe how much this means to me. Trains are not just a job for me – they’re my life and passion.

“I love being part of the GBRf family and I am delighted so many of my colleagues were able to attend this special day. I am over the moon and cannot thank John enough for this.”