Cemex and Victa Railfreight continue partnership at Dove Holes

Companies renew successful rail terminal operations partnership at key Peak District quarry

CEMEX and Victa Railfreight have announced the renewal of their rail terminal operations partnership at Dove Holes Quarry in the Peak District, as Cemex continue to grow their rail supply chain activities in the UK in support of their global Future in Action programme, which underpins all of the company’s environmental and sustainability activities with the ultimate objective of becoming a carbon net-zero business by 2050.

Mark Grimshaw-Smith, rail and sea manager for Cemex in the UK, said: ‘The renewal of our rail terminal operations contract at Dove Holes is a demonstration of our continued commitment to rail as a safe, effective, and more sustainable mode of transport, and our partnership with Victa Railfreight is critical in the shunting, placement, and planning management of our rail schedules across the wider rail network.’

Rail transportation plays a key part in Cemex’s UK supply chain activities at Dove Holes Quarry, from which they transport around 3 million tonnes of aggregates a year. This is dispatched to receiving depots around the UK for use in a wide range of building, construction and infrastructure projects, with Victa Railfreight also co-ordinating the provision of facilities for customers to collect materials from the quarry using their own rail providers.

Cemex have significantly grown their rail operations over recent years and now have rail transport links at 12 of their sites in the UK, with plans to increase this in the near future.

Dave Hart, Cemex’s director of supply chain for the UK, commented: ‘Rail is an integral part of our transport operation at Cemex, and aligns with our global Future in Action strategy of reducing our CO₂ emissions. Delivery by train produces around 50% less CO₂ per tonne-mile than a road vehicle, largely due to their ability to carry significantly increased volumes of materials.

‘We’re extremely proud of the growth that we have seen across our rail operations at Cemex in recent years, and of the contribution that this has made to our overall sustainability commitments. It remains a key focus area which we intend to continue to grow, and it will play an ever-increasing role in our supply chain network.’

Alongside supporting Cemex with their rail operations at Dove Holes, Victa Railfreight provide a wide range of services to customers and suppliers in the freight industry throughout the UK. Since forming in 1995 the company has constantly adapted to the evolving landscape of the rail freight industry and their product portfolio now provides a range of operational, safety, and logistics services to rail freight operators and customers across the UK.

Victa Railfreight’s managing director, Neil Sime, said: ‘We are delighted to have renewed our partnership with Cemex at Dove Holes. Over the past five years we have worked hard to provide a safe, high-quality, and responsive service, working with Cemex and the other freight operating companies (FOCs) to maximize the volumes out of Dove Holes and deliver a very high level of performance, consistently delivering 99% plus of all outbound trains ‘on time and in full’ to the trunk rail operators’ at the departure point for onwards haulage.

‘This level of service is testament to our dedicated team of rail logistics operators, all of whom have been recruited new to the rail industry and have been trained in house to handle the shunting and main line loco-driving duties required to fulfil our operation at Dove Holes. In addition, our contract management adds enormous value by dealing with the interfaces and liaison with all parties to optimize resource utilization and quickly respond to service disruption and volume fluctuations.

‘This commitment, coupled with a high level of co-operation between the parties, has been a key driver in the growth of rail volumes from the quarry.’