UK operator DCRail has launched a new rail freight flow carrying recycled asphalt planings (recycled road surface material) from Greenwich to Purfleet. It’s proving that even short-distance services can take trucks off the roads. The rail freight operator, part of the construction-industry focused Cappagh Group, is taking advantage of the first Network Rail Control Period 7 (CP7) access charge discount awarded to a bulk freight service. The discount helps rail compete with road on this 40-kilometre corridor. Each train is removing around 40 lorries from London’s congested roads. It’s also cutting carbon dioxide emissions by around 2.67 tonnes, say the company.
The train’s route is far from direct. In order to cross the Thames, it loops across the capital to reach its destination. DCRail, a specialist aggregates carrier, operates heavy haul services across the UK, principally serving the south of England. Parent company Cappagh Group is a major player in the construction and waste sectors, with rail central to its low-carbon logistics strategy. The new Greenwich–Purfleet flow is one of the shortest bulk freight workings in the UK. It does, however, demonstrate that rail can win on environmental and congestion-reduction grounds, as well as prove profitable.
Environmental benefits and Track Access Discount
While it is an exaggeration to claim the two terminals are within sight of each other, they do sit on opposite banks of the River Thames. Avoiding a road move prevents dozens of heavy goods vehicles from crossing south-east London, with all the congestion and emissions costs that would bring. The flow’s environmental credentials are just as important as its operational novelty. It underlines the case for using targeted access charge discounts to make rail competitive on short, urban routes.
The reduction in Network Rail access charges has been helping establish new flows across Britain. These have hitherto been mainly in the intermodal sector. DCRail is claiming a first for aggregates traffic over a short run. “Network Rail is committed to supporting the delivery of rail freight growth and modal shift to rail,” said Andy Bradford, Lead Strategic Planner at Network Rail. “The launch of our Track Access Discounts Scheme in August 2024 is indicative of this.
Rail is the winning mode in this case
The Policy has already been successful in driving growth in new intermodal traffic, and with the approval of DCRail’s Greenwich to Purfleet service, we are delighted to see the Policy also successfully stimulating growth in aggregates traffic. This new traffic will help us achieve our rail freight growth targets, remove HGVs from the congested road network of the Southeast, and support the Government’s key missions.” DCRail recently also reactivated another terminal in the south of London, at Chessington.
Purfleet Freight Terminal sits on the London, Tilbury & Southend line. It serves as a major port-connected rail hub east of the capital. The client, Holcim, which rebranded from Aggregate Industries last year, operates from here. While trains terminate here, the material heads to construction markets across London and the South East. Loads originate at Angerstein Wharf in North Greenwich, which can also receive barge traffic.
Answering freight strategy and social media
The long way round has caught the attention of social media. “Excellent. Must be the most indirect flow ever! You can see Greenwich from Purfleet, but the train must circumnavigate London,” said one witty and industry-connected contributor. David Fletcher, Director of Rail at Cappagh Group of Companies, replied in kind. “Just what the discount is for,” he said, referring to Network Rail access charges, which have advantageous terms for workings like this one. “Making rail competitive and getting trucks off the road.”
DCRail owns and operates its locomotives, primarily rebuilt British Rail Class 60 diesels. The fleet has been modernised for heavy freight by DB Cargo UK at Nottingham. The box wagons are supplied under lease from VTG. They are part of a fleet built specifically for DCRail’s aggregate flows. This new movement aligns with London’s broader freight strategy, which promotes rail and barge over road for construction and intermodal traffic, especially in areas south of the Thames where rail terminals are scarce. Even though Network Rail’s 2020 London rail freight strategy has since been superseded, it still underlines the potential for short-haul rail to make a long-term difference.