DB Cargo UK and CEMEX have opened a ‘pop-up’ rail depot to serve the construction market in the north-west of England and reduce the number of HGVs transporting materials from the High Peak countryside.
The ‘pop-up’ depot was installed in weeks on land adjacent to the West Coast Mainline using a readymade weighbridge and office. The temporary site, based in Warrington, Cheshire, will handle around 125,000 tonnes of aggregates each year.
The aggregates are transported from Dove Holes Quarry in Derbyshire on two weekly rail services, with each train carrying approximately 1,540 tonnes of aggregates. Up to 150 HGVs would be needed to carry this by road, thus providing environmental benefits. As a result, the project will have benefits for local areas of the High Peak by easing road congestion.
DB Cargo UK is also responsible for unloading the aggregates at Warrington, where they are later transported by road to local concrete plants and construction sites.
Mark Grimshaw-Smith, Head of CEMEX Rail and Sea, said, “A pop-up rail depot can be installed in weeks rather than months and gives the flexibility to move aggregates from quarries to areas where they are needed, especially in the short term. So with the right piece of land close to the rail network you can create a depot.”
He added, “Rail has considerable economic and environmental benefits compared to road transportation with significant CO2 savings and on busy roads, a major time saving. In 2015 we transported 2.3m tonnes by rail – equivalent to 80,000 truck movements.”
Source: DB Cargo UK
