EKFB - a joint venture made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction, and Bam Nutall - has successfully welcomed the 1000th freight train into its railhead near Quainton, in Buckinghamshire, enabling the delivery of 1,620,837 tonnes of material onto site.
Situated on an existing freight line north of Aylesbury, the railhead is managed by Fishbone Solutions on behalf of EKFB with the trains operated by DC Rail and GB Rail Freight on behalf of Heidelberg Materials. Welcoming its 1000th train, the railhead has now effectively removed 162,084 lorries off the local roads within Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and West Northants.
Offsetting the need for the transportation of materials by road, the railhead has delivered 15,908 tonnes in carbon savings for HS2 – the equivalent of 53,098 single passenger flights from London to Rome.
Once the materials are delivered to site, it is stockpiled before being distributed along the trace using EKFB’s dedicated internal haul roads to minimise the disruption to the local roads.
In early spring of last year, EKFB celebrated one million tonnes of material brought in by rail. As the works progress, the railhead is expected to welcome a further 1,400 freight trains over the next two years taking the total amount of material delivered to around three million tonnes.
EKFB’s Deputy Project Director, Christos Fasoulas, said: “We have reached an important milestone with the delivery of the 1000th freight train into Quainton Railhead. This achievement demonstrates our commitment for a sustainable delivery of the project as we reduce our carbon footprint and support the community by removing a significant number of vehicles from the local roads.”
EKFB’s Head of Logistics and Security, Paul Bedford, said: “This is a fantastic milestone. We knew the potential of moving material by rail at the start of the project, but to see it happening is a testament to all the people involved, and the commitment by this project of delivering material in a sustainable, cheaper and safer way than the traditional use of transportation by road.”
Fishbone Logistics Director, Paul Clews, said: “EKFB has clearly demonstrated its commitment to rail, delivering lasting benefits to the local community while driving significant carbon savings.”