New figures published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that GB Railfreight (GBRf) now accounts for the largest share of freight train kilometres in Great Britain at 31.4%, as well as the largest share of freight vehicle kilometres at 33.3%, cementing its position as the nation’s leading rail freight business.

Since launching operations in 2001, GBRf’s growth has helped create thousands of skilled, secure and long-term jobs across the railway industry, many of them in communities beyond London and the South East.

GBRf’s success has been supported by long-term investment in its people, locomotives, rolling stock and operational facilities, enabling the business to increase capacity while continuing to meet growing customer demand. In recent years, GBRf has invested heavily in modern locomotives like the Class 99s, expanded and enhanced its wagon fleet, improved its operational facilities across its network, and continued to strengthen welfare, training, and safety standards for colleagues.

The milestone comes shortly after GBRf marked the 25th anniversary of operating its first train, capping a period of sustained growth that has seen the business expand from a new entrant into the UK’s largest rail freight operator. It now moves goods across the country to locations including Fowey, Fort William, Penmaenmawr and the Isle of Grain.

Today, GBRf transports a wide range of freight, including containers, construction materials, biomass, consumer goods and infrastructure supplies, helping to keep businesses supplied and supporting major construction and infrastructure projects nationwide.

The company has built a workforce rooted in the communities it serves, with many colleagues spending entire careers in the industry and, increasingly, multiple generations of the same family choosing to build their futures at GBRf.

Rail freight contributes £2.5 billion to the UK economy each year while helping reduce congestion and carbon emissions by removing thousands of HGV journeys from Britain’s roads. As demand for more sustainable freight transport continues to grow, GBRf’s milestone reflects the increasingly important role rail freight plays in supporting the UK’s prosperity and environmental ambitions.

John Smith OBE, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight, said:

“If someone had told us 25 years ago, when we were preparing to run our first train, that we would one day become the UK’s largest rail freight operator, I’m not sure many of us would have believed them.

“It’s a fantastic achievement and one that makes me incredibly proud. What makes it even more special is that it comes in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary. This milestone belongs to the thousands of colleagues, past and present, whose hard work, commitment and belief in the business have helped build GBRf into what it is today.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’re certainly not standing still. Rail freight plays a vital role in supporting economic growth, strengthening supply chains, and helping businesses move goods more sustainably. We’re excited about the future and remain committed to investing in our people, our customers and the railway.”

Photo: Robert Sherwood

Maritime Transport, the UK’s leading provider of integrated road and rail freight logistics, has launched two new intermodal rail services connecting DP World London Gateway with its inland terminals at Hams Hall and iPort Doncaster. 

Running Monday to Saturday, the new services commenced last week and are operated in partnership with GB Railfreight. Both services have been introduced in response to growing volumes at DP World London Gateway – where a £1bn expansion is set to begin this month to increase capacity at the Port – and reflect Maritime’s continued investment in expanding its rail network and infrastructure, improving inland connectivity, and driving modal shift across key UK routes.

John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal, Maritime Transport: 

‘London Gateway is seeing strong growth in container volumes, supported by its role in the Gemini Cooperation’s Asia–Europe network and a major expansion project that will further strengthen its position as one of the UK’s leading deep-sea ports. As throughput increases, so too does the need for reliable inland connections. These new rail services provide the additional capacity needed to support that growth, enhance our national network, and enable a more meaningful shift from road to rail as part of a lower-carbon, more efficient UK supply chain.’

Maritime plans to introduce additional services in the coming weeks, expanding connectivity between major UK ports and its network of nine strategic rail freight terminals. New routes currently in development include Felixstowe to Manchester, DP World London Gateway to the East Midlands, and Southampton to Maritime’s SRFI at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton – the latest addition to the company’s growing rail terminal portfolio, which is now fully integrated into the national rail network.

Julie Garn, Intermodal Director, GB Railfreight: 

Rail plays a hugely important role in our national supply chains. In addition to driving our economy, moving goods by rail reduces emissions and supports the UK’s transition to more sustainable transport. Using rail freight reduces carbon emissions by approximately 76% compared to road transport. These new services are a great example of what long-term collaboration can achieve, delivering practical, lower-carbon alternatives to road that benefit the wider supply chain.’

GB Railfreight (GBRf), one of the UK’s largest transporters of consumer and business goods, will be unveiling its new hybrid Class 99 locomotive at InnoTrans in Berlin on Wednesday, 25 September, signalling a significant leap forward in decarbonising the UK’s rail freight industry.

The new Class 99s are expected to reduce emissions by up to 58% per journey compared to the industry norm (the Class 66s). They are being offered exclusively to GBRf customers as a new solution for the sustainable movement of goods across the UK. These hybrid trains are the first heavy-haul freight locomotives capable of moving significant volume at mainline speeds on electrified and non-electrified sections of the rail network. The new trains will shorten journey times and drive customer efficiencies across the UK’s transport infrastructure.

The UK moves c.£30bn worth of goods by rail each year. GBRf’s investment in the Class 99s aligns with the Government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower and will help reduce the environmental impact of transporting goods. This will empower businesses and consumers to make greener purchasing decisions.

John Smith, Chief Executive Officer of GB Railfreight, said:

“Rail freight has long been the cleanest, safest and most efficient way of transporting goods, and the Class 99s are a game-changing moment for the UK rail freight industry. These locomotives offer our customers the chance to run faster, wholly sustainable, heavy-haul services across the length and breadth of the country.”

The Class 99 has been designed in collaboration with Beacon Rail and Stadler, which manufacture them at their Valencia factory. The first locomotive is expected to arrive in the UK in Spring 2025, and the full fleet is due to be operational by the end of 2026.

Iñigo Parra, CEO of Stadler Valencia, said:

“Along with our clients, GB Railfreight and Beacon Rail, we are delighted to present this fantastic locomotive, which is a testament to Stadler’s commitment to green technology. Set to be a game changer in UK rail freight, this environmentally-friendly, efficient and powerful vehicle will encourage a modal shift from road to rail, helping the UK decarbonise the railway and supporting net-zero targets.”

Adam Cunliffe, Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Rail, said:

“Beacon is proud to introduce the Class 99 to the market; this results from a collaborative approach with our long-standing customer GB Railfreight and manufacturer Stadler. The Class 99 order underlines Beacon’s drive to support the UK’s journey towards a greener and more efficient rail network.”

The deal marks continued investment into the rail freight sector, adding to the existing 100 intermodal twin wagons and 50 box wagons delivered to the UK rail network since 2022.

The new wagons, arriving in the UK in Q3 2024, will replace ageing assets and enable an increase in the nation’s rail freight capacity.

GB Railfreight will operate these wagons to transport bulk construction materials such as ballast and stone to support the expected growth in freight for the construction sector.

Liam Day, Commercial Director of GB Railfreight, said: “Working in partnership with Porterbrook, we’re modernising our fleet by investing in 50 brand new box wagons. These will drive further growth of the business and allow us to deliver more materials to key construction projects across the country.

“Each of these new box wagons can move up to 77 tonnes of bulk material, which means that one of our trains can take up to 129 HGVs off our congested roads, pushing Britain closer to net zero.”

Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight and Route Services at Porterbrook said: “We are delighted to continue our journey with GB Railfreight and the rail freight sector.

This deal highlights our ongoing commitment to investing in rail freight for the long term and to providing affordable, innovative, and sustainable freight rolling stock to the UK’s railway.

John Brown, Sales Director at Greenbrier, said: “We are thrilled to receive a new order for JNA box wagons from two of our valued customers, showcasing their confidence in our industry-leading solutions. This order highlights Greenbrier’s dedication to the UK Rail industry, providing reliable and efficient rolling stock to meet the evolving needs of our clients”

Data from The Office of Road and Rail (ORR) shows freight volumes in construction increased by 16%, reaching 1.44 billion net tonne kilometres from 1 July to 30 September 2023, the highest value since the time series began in April 1998. This data, combined with the Government’s ambitious 2050 target to grow rail freight by at least 75%, means there is an excellent growth scenario for the industry

Tesco has appointed Maritime to manage, plan, and execute all rail operations at Tesco’s central distribution hubs within Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). The new agreement builds on Maritime’s 13-year history with the UK’s largest retailer of groceries and general merchandise, providing distribution services by road to Tesco sites nationwide, and strengthens Maritime’s position in the market as a leading provider of integrated road and rail freight logistics.

Under the new contract, Maritime will oversee the planning of seven daily rail services linking DIRFT with terminals in Mossend, Tilbury, Wentloog, Teesport, and Inverness whilst completing final-mile road flow operations to distribution centres and Tesco stores in Yorkshire, Middlesbrough, the Midlands, and London.

Employees of Eddie Stobart Ltd., previously affiliated with Tesco’s rail operation at DIRFT, transferred across to Maritime under TUPE regulations after a consultation process.

John Bailey, Managing Director – Intermodal, Maritime Transport:

‘This contract win with Tesco represents another step in our intermodal growth as we continue to reposition our business and focus on a more environmentally-conscious, carbon-cutting economy. DIRFT is a great fit for Maritime, and our dedicated central management team now operating on-site are doing a fantastic job leading day-to-day operations alongside our new colleagues, who we are delighted to welcome to the Company. We look forward to further significant growth opportunities as a strategic partner of Tesco, and continuing to implement our strategy to own and operate the cleanest, most sustainable full-load supply chain in the country.’

Nick Potter, Transport Director, Tesco PLC:  

‘We are pleased to strengthen our collaboration with Maritime, using their extensive terminal network and expertise to support our commitment to efficient, low-carbon logistics. Rail freight is one of the many ways we’re reducing our emissions, and the network will play an important role in achieving net zero across our operations by 2035.’

Freightliner, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), has announced the launch of 25 additional rail services, which includes two new key routes covering Felixstowe to Daventry and Southampton to Cardiff.

Starting 2nd October, Freightliner will introduce a new route from Felixstowe to Daventry, which traditionally is a competitive short-haul route for freight logistics.  This first rail freight service connecting the port of Felixstowe with Daventry pushes the boundaries of rail freight, offering significant carbon savings to the traditional road haulage solution.

We are constantly looking at new innovative ways to offer our customers more carbon-efficient services,” says Mr. Chris Lawrenson, Freightliner’s managing director, intermodal logistics. “For every intermodal train introduced, up to 52 HGVs are removed from our congested roads and up to 76% carbon emissions are saved. This new service to rail freight will not only support the modal shift but help to reduce the congestion we all experience along the main A14 road link between Felixstowe and Daventry.”

A new route from Southampton to Cardiff will also be introduced on 2^nd October, enabling customers to take advantage of DP World’s new modal shift programme.

Other services launching on 2nd October include; Grangemouth to Daventry, Southampton to Leeds, Felixstowe to Manchester, Manchester to Birmingham, Birmingham to London Gateway and Birmingham to Felixstowe.

“We have added these new services with both service delivery and efficiency in mind,” says Freightliner’s CEO, Mr Tim Shoveller. “We are committed to pushing the boundaries of rail freight by offering simplified and streamlined solutions for our customers which support that all-important modal shift to rail.”