{"id":330113,"date":"2025-12-15T18:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=68035"},"modified":"2025-12-15T18:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:54:08","slug":"uk-manufacturer-wins-150-wagon-order-for-freightliner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=330113","title":{"rendered":"UK manufacturer wins 150 wagon order for Freightliner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freightliner in the UK has announced an agreement with rolling stock leasing company Porterbrook for 150 brand-new intermodal wagons. The units will be built by UK manufacturer WH Davis. Wabtec UK will supply the bogies. The agreement will see the new fleet on the UK rail network with a new design based on 40-foot platforms. This will allow greater efficiencies in the transportation of container volumes. The operator expects around a seven per cent carbon reduction compared with the more common 60-foot platforms.<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFreightliner is thrilled to be partnering with Porterbrook Leasing and WH Davis on this crucial new build project,\u201d said Chris Lawrenson, Managing Director \u2013 Intermodal Logistics for Freightliner UK. \u201cSupporting UK manufacturing wherever viable is not just important to us as a business, but also to our country\u2019s economy. These new 40-foot wagons will bring in further efficiencies to our services and increase modal share to rail from road, which in turn allows us to deliver more effectively for our customers, enabling growth and ultimately removing more lorries from our congested roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bigger isn\u2019t always better<\/h2>\n

The wagons will be built by WH Davis at their Mansfield factory in the English East Midlands. WH Davis is the only remaining UK-based independent freight rolling stock manufacturer<\/a>. Porterbrook, for its part, is set on a growth strategy that includes growing its freight portfolio. \u201cThe order of this new wagon design serves as a landmark deal in our portfolio and will help our customer achieve greater efficiencies and fewer carbon emissions in its future operations,\u201d said Max Ordish, Head of Freight & Commercial Projects for Porterbrook.<\/p>\n

\"A
Ready at the head of the train. A Freightliner intermodal train, ready for departure from Grangemouth. Image: Malcolm Group \u00a9 Andrew Sumner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The wagons will begin arriving in Q1 of 2027. They are of a new design based on 40-foot platforms (2TEU). This, says Freightliner, allows greater efficiencies in the transportation of container volumes. The rail freight operator expects to see about a seven per cent carbon emissions reduction, compared with 60-foot platforms. The more common 60-foot wagons often carry one 2TEU container but have an unoccupied 1TEU berth. The proportion of 20-foot containers shipped worldwide has fallen to about a quarter of all boxes shipped, hence the empty spaces often spotted on UK intermodal trains.<\/p>\n

British design and manufacturing<\/h2>\n

Andy Houghton, Managing Director for WH Davis<\/a>, said his company was proud to be working alongside Porterbrook and Freightliner on what he described as an innovative, low-carbon solution for the intermodal market. \u201cSecuring this order for our new wagon design represents a significant milestone for our business, and we are looking forward to building on the collaborative relationship between the three companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Andy
The order was this big, says Andy Houghton of WH Davis. Image: \u00a9 Andy Houghton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wabtec UK will be supplying the bogies for the new wagons, most likely from their Staffordshire facility. \u201cOur Axiom TF20+ bogie design, together with Wabtec\u2019s UIC brake equipment, has been selected for the new wagons,\u201d said Tim Bentley, Group Vice President, Regional Services for Wabtec UK. \u201cThis will deliver key life cycle benefits, including extended wheel life, fuel savings, and reduced track access charges.\u201d The design relies on sophisticated suspension to increase axle-load, while at the same time reducing impact on track infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Freightliner is already the UK\u2019s largest intermodal rail freight operator<\/a>, as well as a substantial road logistics provider. This is the first major purchase since the company was sold to French shipping giant CMA CGM, earlier this year.<\/p>\n