Bardon Hill locomotive named ‘Sence’
GB Railfreight and Aggregate Industries celebrate extension of Bardon Hill Quarry with locomotive naming
GB Railfreight, one of the UK largest rail freight companies, and Aggregate Industries have named locomotive number 66711 ‘Sence’ at a ceremony at Aggregate Industries’ Bardon Hill Quarry in Coalville, Leicestershire.
‘Project Sence’ is the name given to the new extension to Bardon Hill Quarry because the source of the river Sence lies just to the north of the new quarry. This extension will secure the life of the quarry for the next 40 years, safeguarding on-site jobs and delivering construction materials for the UK.
Bardon Hill Quarry produces, on average, 3 million tonnes of crushed rock each year, with around one third distributed by rail. GB Railfreight run five flows a day, five days a week from the quarry, taking the stone to handling sites in Sheffield and London.
Earlier this year, GB Railfreight officially announced that they had signed a five-year deal with Aggregate Industries to transport aggregates from the company’s quarries to various depots and handling sites across the UK.
Speaking at the naming ceremony, John Smith (left of photo), managing director of GB Railfreight, said the company was honoured to rededicate one of its locomotives to celebrate ‘Project Sence’ and the important role the extension of Bardon Hill Quarry will play in sustaining the future of quarrying in Leicestershire.
‘It signifies the close working relationship we have with Aggregate Industries and is an important part of the growing aggregate operations we run across the UK,’ he commented.
Philippe Frenay (right of photo), director of Aggregate Industries’ Aggregates and Cementitious Materials Division, added: ‘Last year we transported almost a million tonnes of aggregate from Bardon Hill by rail. That’s around a third of our total production for the year. If we’d had to rely on trucks to deliver this stone, we’d have used in excess of 30,000 of them.
‘Transporting by rail means that we can keep lorries off the roads, making our highways safer, cleaner, less congested and more environmentally friendly for the people of Britain. The dedication, professionalism and experience of John and the GB Railfreight team have proven invaluable, and we look forward to many successful years working together.’
