Freightliner and Breedon Group begin new five-year cement and aggregate deal
Freightliner has announced two new five-year Heavy Haul rail contracts with Breedon Group. The first is a renewal of a pre-existing cement contract and the second is a new contract moving aggregates from multiple sites across the UK.
On 28 June, Freightliner ran the first aggregate service for Breedon. This five-year contract includes the movement of aggregates from Dowlow and Shap Quarries to Breedon’s sites at Ashbury and Walsall, as well as delivering to additional third-party sites across the UK.
Freightliner has deployed Class 70 locomotives to support the contract, which will enable longer and heavier services. It is also repurposing a residual coal fleet into aggregate box wagons in partnership with WH Davis, and Porterbrook, to support the new operation. The wagon conversions are being carried out at the WH Davis factory in Mansfield, bringing new life and service to an otherwise redundant fleet.
Freightliner has also invested significantly in a new maintenance and fuelling facility at Dowlow Quarry to contribute to increased operational efficiency of the contract.
The partnership is an extension of the longstanding agreement between Breedon and Freightliner, in place for over 25 years, that covers the transport of cement from Hope Cement Works to distribution sites across the UK, including Dagenham, Theale, Dewsbury and Walsall. In addition to these flows, it also includes the movement of Alternative Raw Materials (ARM) – delivering materials from Llandudno and Drax Power Station into the cement works.
To support the increased traffic in and out of the busy Hope Cement Works, Freightliner has made significant investments at Earles Sidings, helping to ensure smooth and efficient operations.