Demand for aggregates stimulates new freight flows
GB RAILFREIGHT and independent building materials supplier Brett Aggregates launched a new aggregates service from Newhaven, East Sussex, to Thorney Mill, West Drayton, on January 19. This was the first service operated by GBRf from Brett Aggregates’ Newhaven collection terminal, which is capable of receiving 10,000t cargo vessels.
The train consisted of 17 wagons, transporting approximately 1350 tonnes of aggregate destined for construction projects in South East
England. GBRf told Rail Express that it is contracted to operate three services per week for Brett Aggregates, receiving train orders on a week-toweek basis. As a result, service times are subject to change each week. The FOC emphasised the importance of transporting material by rail, which otherwise would have been taken by road, leading to a significant reduction in the environmental impact of key construction projects.
The new flow comes just over a month after railfreight services resumed to/from Chessington South. The former household coal distribution depot in South West London last saw rail deliveries from the British coalfields more than a quarter of a century ago. But on December 10, 2021, Wimbledon based Cappagh Group reopened the site to handle aggregates after a 12-month programme to remediate around 1km of track. Regular services commenced in January, serving customers in south west London and Surrey.