{"id":188578,"date":"2025-03-20T20:47:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=60852"},"modified":"2025-03-20T20:47:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:47:35","slug":"hs2-is-still-a-winner-for-freight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=188578","title":{"rendered":"HS2 is still a winner for freight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite all that press coverage, Britain\u2019s high speed rail project is still very much alive. It has been radically scaled down from a grand plan for a national network. However, work is underway on the core section between London and Birmingham. That\u2019s good news for rail freight which remains the biggest supporter of the line.<\/strong>
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Rail freight continues to play a mission critical role for the HS2 high speed rail project in Britain. In a monthly update hosted by the recently appointed new chief executive, Mark Wild revealed the extent of operations. It can be seen, albeit briefly, in some aerial shots of the project\u2019s London logistics hub at Willesden, near the Old Oak Common station site.<\/p>\n

Sharing the load<\/h2>\n

It was only a few months ago that one rail freight operator, DB Cargo, celebrated moving over one million tonnes of materials to HS2 construction sites<\/a>. That milestone was achieved over eighteen months, with 583 trains delivering aggregate to three locations around Calvert and Aylesbury. The firm says that replaced over 100,000 heavy goods vehicles on the roads of Britain.<\/p>\n

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DB Cargo UK and colleagues celebrate moving one million tonnes of construction materials for HS2. Image: \u00a9 DB Cargo UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By some estimates, figures like that make HS2 the single biggest customer of the UK rail freight sector. All the major operators are involved. There\u2019s a slice of the high speed pie being shared around to everyone – not out of generosity, but because of necessity. The scale of works on the 140-mile (224km) line is such that no one operator can service all the needs of the project.<\/p>\n

Relative values<\/h2>\n

Loads include aggregates and building materials inward, along with significant shipments of prefabricated sections for tunnels, bridges and linings. Spoil has been on the way out, and later, track sections will be delivered by rail too. The mix of goods at logistics hubs may change over time, but the intensity of services will remain constant.<\/p>\n