Rail freight UK

GB Railfreight open new Peterborough office to kickstart next chapter

GB Railfreight officially opened their new office this week, in a move marking the next phase for the ever-growing transport company. The official opening marks a new chapter in the story of GBRf. Founded in 1999, the 22-year-old company has been going from strength to strength in recent years, even during the pandemic. GBRf had a strong 2020 and is looking to build on last year’s results. The new headquarters sees the company continue to be a leader in the sector through innovation, training and a particular focus on its workforce, an area for which it was recently recognised at the Rail Business Awards earlier this year. The works on the building, led by Lindum, are now complete, finishing on time and within budget – an achievement that has been praised given the last year has seen disruption from both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. After an informal opening on 8 April, teams have officially moved in and are getting used to their new surroundings. The building will house central functions, training and the Operations departments, as well as the fleet, and the GBRf 24-hour control centre. The new office is based next door to the state-of-the-art simulators owned by GBRf. Having already pioneered this cutting-edge equipment, GBRf will look to become the leading training provider for train drivers and managers across the rail sector. The new office will play host to three shiny new classrooms which will be used by prospective train managers together with the simulators. The building also reinforced GBRf’s green credentials, with solar panels having been installed on the roof and a number of electric vehicle charging points and bike racks having been installed. The company has also made staff wellbeing central to its plans for the new headquarters, with new furniture and amenities having been installed, as well as making sure the building and car park are completely accessible to all members of staff. John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight said:

“I am over the moon to be able to officially open our new offices in Peterborough today. Having seen a huge increase in the demand for our services, we made the call to expand our operations here by investing in new offices and training facilities. Today that has become a reality. “On behalf of GBRf, I would like to thank the construction company Lindum for completing an outstanding job. The success of the project relies on the practical, hands-on approach taken from concept to completion, and the company is delighted with the result of this partnership. “Our partnership with Lindum has seen the works happen on time and within budget – no mean feat considering what a challenging year 2020 was for the UK and the whole world. Now we look to put that disruption behind us, and kickstart a new phase for the business, which continues to go from strength to strength.”

Darren King, Managing Director of Lindum, added:

“This has been a fantastic project to be involved in. The building is just a few miles from our Peterborough office, so we are particularly happy to see the site being regenerated in this way. “Work began just before the Covid outbreak so we had to introduce strict hygiene rules and extra safety measures on site to ensure the impact of the virus was kept to a minimum. “It is great to see a company like GB Railfreight reaffirming its commitment to Peterborough and we’ve enjoyed working with such a forward-thinking and ambitious client.”