GB Railfreight
Encyclopedia
GB Railfreight is a British
freight
train operating company
. Formerly called First GBRf, its new owner Eurotunnel
bought the company in May 2010.
created the company part of the GB Railways group of companies. Unlike competitors DB Schenker Rail (UK)
and Freightliner Group, the company was not formed from parts of the privatised British Railways freight sectors.
In 2003 GB Railfreight was acquired by First Group. The company was renamed First GBRf.
In May 2010, First Group put the business up for sale. Eurotunnel, SNCF
and Freightliner were reported as being interested in the company. The company was acquired by Europorte a subsidiary of the Eurotunnel on 1 June 2010 for £31 million. Following the acquisition by Europorte, The company reverted back to its original name of GB Railfreight.
shunters are used for shunting work in the GB Railfreight depots.
The Class 66
fleet sees use on the main freight flows and the five Metronet
liveried 66's are also employed on London Underground
maintenance. Railfreight Class 66s were also hired to Fastline
Freight to operate their coal flows until their own Class 66's had been delivered.
GB Railfreight use their small Class 73
fleet in the south on engineering trains and other work such as empty coaching stock (ECS) moves for passenger operators. They form the usual motive power (along with 4VEP
unit no. 3417) on Bluebell Railway
shuttle trains south from East Grinstead
.
GB Railfreight also has a number of class 92
locomotives acquired by Europorte prior to the purchase of GBRf. As of March 2011 the 92s are starting to gain the revised GBRf livery.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
freight
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
train operating company
Train operating company
The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
. Formerly called First GBRf, its new owner Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
bought the company in May 2010.
History
The GB Railfreight brand has existed since 1999 when GB RailwaysGB Railways
GB Railways was a company created in 1995 by Michael Schabas, Jeremy Long, Jim Morgan and Max Steinkopf to bid for British railway franchises. The company won the Anglia Railways rail franchise in 1997. In 1999 it successfully acquired the passenger services of Australian National Railways, in a...
created the company part of the GB Railways group of companies. Unlike competitors DB Schenker Rail (UK)
DB Schenker Rail (UK)
DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...
and Freightliner Group, the company was not formed from parts of the privatised British Railways freight sectors.
In 2003 GB Railfreight was acquired by First Group. The company was renamed First GBRf.
In May 2010, First Group put the business up for sale. Eurotunnel, SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
and Freightliner were reported as being interested in the company. The company was acquired by Europorte a subsidiary of the Eurotunnel on 1 June 2010 for £31 million. Following the acquisition by Europorte, The company reverted back to its original name of GB Railfreight.
Fleet usage
The Class 08British Rail Class 08
The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
shunters are used for shunting work in the GB Railfreight depots.
The Class 66
British Rail Class 66
The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
fleet sees use on the main freight flows and the five Metronet
Metronet
Metronet Rail was one of two companies in a public-private partnership with London Underground.Metronet was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines from 2003 to 2008. This included track, trains, signals, civil work and stations...
liveried 66's are also employed on London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
maintenance. Railfreight Class 66s were also hired to Fastline
Fastline
Fastline was a railway freight operator. It was part of Jarvis plc. It ceased trading when Jarvis plc entered administration and subsequently ceased trading in late March 2010. The company is in administration with N.G. Edwards, N.B. Kahn, P.S. Bowers and I. Brown of Deloitte LLP.They operated a...
Freight to operate their coal flows until their own Class 66's had been delivered.
GB Railfreight use their small Class 73
British Rail Class 73
The British Rail Class 73 is a United Kingdom model of electro-diesel locomotive. The type is unusual in that it can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail or an on-board diesel engine to allow it to operate on non-electrified routes...
fleet in the south on engineering trains and other work such as empty coaching stock (ECS) moves for passenger operators. They form the usual motive power (along with 4VEP
British Rail Class 423
The British Rail Class 423 electrical multiple units were built by BR at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were constructed at Derby Works. They feature manually-opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in...
unit no. 3417) on Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
shuttle trains south from East Grinstead
East Grinstead railway station
East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. The station was formerly divided into two levels: the higher level platforms serving the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, whilst the lower level platforms received services from the Oxted Line 49 km ...
.
GB Railfreight also has a number of class 92
British Rail Class 92
The British Rail Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France...
locomotives acquired by Europorte prior to the purchase of GBRf. As of March 2011 the 92s are starting to gain the revised GBRf livery.
Locations
GB Railfreight has twelve locations along the eastern side of England. The Headquarters is on Artillery Lane, London. The other elven locations which GB Railfreight own or serve are:- DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, South YorkshireSouth YorkshireSouth Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield... - Port of FelixstowePort of FelixstoweThe Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, FelixstoweFelixstoweFelixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
, SuffolkSuffolkSuffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east... - Ferme Park, HarringayHarringayHarringay is a residential area of North London, part of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the northern boundary of Finsbury Park up to the southern boundary of Duckett's Common, not far from Turnpike Lane.-Location:The...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - Hull Docks, Kingston upon HullKingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, East Riding of YorkshireEast Riding of YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority... - Mountfield, East Sussex
- North WalshamNorth WalshamNorth Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... - PeterboroughPeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, CambridgeshireCambridgeshireCambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west... - WellingboroughWellingboroughWellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,... - WillesdenWillesdenWillesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, London (Royal Mail service) - TonbridgeTonbridgeTonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... - Tyne Docks, South ShieldsSouth ShieldsSouth Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
Services
The company operates several different types of freight traffic.- 3 daily Intermodal servicesIntermodal freight transportIntermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...
from FelixstoweFelixstoweFelixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
to Hams HallColeshill, WarwickshireColeshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:... - Intermodal traffic from Felixstowe to SelbySelbySelby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
- Intermodal traffic from Felixstowe to DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
- GypsumGypsumGypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
traffic in northern and southern EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a new service starting to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station - Infrastructure maintenance trains in East AngliaEast AngliaEast Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and South-East England as well as a Loaded Rail service from ScunthorpeScunthorpeScunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
to WellingboroughWellingboroughWellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain... - Withdrawn and stored stock movements
- New stock delivery movements for Angel TrainsAngel TrainsAngel Trains is an English Rolling Stock Operating Company created in 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of three ROSCOs...
and Bombardier - Maintenance and operation of snowploughs in East AngliaEast AngliaEast Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
and South East England - Operation of engineering trains for Transport for LondonTransport for LondonTransport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
on nine of the twelve London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
lines - First GBRf entered the coal market in 2007 and operates coal trains between Tyne DockTyne DockTyne Dock is a neighbourhood within the town of South Shields, North East England, on the south bank of the River Tyne. It takes its name from the large dock on the river which was opened in 1859 by the Tyne Improvement Commission to handle Tyneside's coal exports...
and RedcarRedcarRedcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
to Drax Power Station, ImminghamImminghamImmingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
to EggboroughEggboroughEggborough is a village and civil parish of 750 homes, in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, close to the county borders with South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and the East Riding. The village is situated at the intersection of the A19 and the A645, approximately seven miles east of...
, ThoresbyEdwinstoweEdwinstowe is a village in the heart of Sherwood Forest, north Nottinghamshire, England.Its name means Edwin's resting place because King Edwin of Northumbria's body was hidden in the church after he was killed in the Battle of Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster, probably in 633. References to...
and WelbeckWelbeckWelbeck is a village in Nottinghamshire, England, slightly to the south-west of Worksop.Welbeck became a coal-mining centre in 1912 and has a famous stately home, Welbeck Abbey, home of the Dukes of Portland, and which was founded in the twelfth century as a monastery.Among the famous people from...
to CottamCottamA cottam, as confirmed by the Oxford University's History Department is derived from the word "cottage". It means a collection of cottages at the end of a lane, smaller than a hamlet.Cottam could be*Cottam, East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
and West BurtonWest BurtonWest Burton refers to more than one place in England:*West Burton, Nottinghamshire*West Burton, North Yorkshire*West Burton, West Sussex...
as well as ones between WiddringtonWiddrington railway stationWiddrington railway station is a railway station serving the villages of Stobswood and Widdrington Station in Northumberland, England.It is located on the East Coast Main Line, although in the the only trains calling at Widdrington are one northbound and two southbound local services operated on...
and LynemouthLynemouthLynemouth is a village in Northumberland, England. The village is situated northeast of Ashington, and is in close proximity to the village of Ellington which is located to the north west...
and from Butterwell to Daw MillDaw MillDaw Mill is a coal mine located near the village of Arley in the English county of Warwickshire. The mine is Britain's biggest coal producer, mining a five-metre thick section of the Warwickshire Coalfield in the north of the county... - "Petrochem Carless" tank trains from Parkeston to North Walsham as well as the "Mud Oil"Drilling fluidIn geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid is a fluid used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. Often used while drilling oil and natural gas wells and on exploration drilling rigs, drilling fluids are also used for much simpler boreholes, such as water wells. Liquid drilling fluid...
train between Parkeston and Aberdeen - Aluminium products between LynemouthAlcan Lynemouth Aluminium SmelterThe Alcan Lynemouth Aluminium Smelter is situated near Ashington, Northumberland, on the coast of North East England, south of the village of Lynemouth. The smelter is owned by Canadian aluminium company Alcan, which is part of Rio Tinto...
and Fort William for Rio Tinto Alcan (previously operated by DB Schenker). In 2011, preserved DelticBritish Rail Class 55The British Rail Class 55 is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric. They were designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which...
55022 Royal Scots Grey was chartered for working bauxite traffic between BlythBlyth, NorthumberlandBlyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
and Lynemouth.- Operation of deicing trains over the former Southern Region using Network Rail deicing vehicles and GB Railfreight's fleet of class 73s
- Operation of Whitemoor Yard for Network RailNetwork RailNetwork Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
Fleet details
Class Image Type Introduced Fleet Size Wheel Arr Numbers Class 08 British Rail Class 08The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
Shunter 1953 2 0-6-0 08925/08934 Class 09 British Rail Class 09The British Rail Class 09 is a class of 0-6-0 diesel locomotive designed primarily for shunting and also short distance freight trips along branch lines....Shunter 1959 2 0-6-0 09002/09009 Class 66 British Rail Class 66The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
Diesel locomotive Diesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...2002 37 Co-Co 66701-732 and 66401-66405 Class 73 British Rail Class 73The British Rail Class 73 is a United Kingdom model of electro-diesel locomotive. The type is unusual in that it can operate from a 750 V DC third-rail or an on-board diesel engine to allow it to operate on non-electrified routes...Electro-diesel locomotive Electro-diesel locomotiveAn Electro-diesel locomotive is powered either from an electricity supply or by using the onboard diesel engine...1966 10 (2 stored, 8 operational) Bo-Bo 73141, 73203-209, 73212-213 Class 92 British Rail Class 92The British Rail Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France...
Electric locomotive Electric locomotiveAn electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...1993 7 Co-Co 92020, 92021, 92032, 92040, 92044-046
External links