Mountsorrel granite keeps Britain’s trains rolling

Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK secure multi-million pound framework contract with Network Rail

GRANITE supplied by Lafarge will be keeping the country’s railways on track for the next five years, after the company secured a prestigious multi-million pound contract.

Network Rail, which owns and operates most of Britain’s rail infrastructure, has awarded a framework contract to Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK to provide ballast and other crushed rock material from Mountsorrel Quarry (pictured), near Loughborough.

The contract is worth, potentially, £35million over the next five years, with Lafarge hoping to supply more than 1 million tonnes of product a year – a fifth of Mountsorrel’s annual output.

The deal will ensure investment of £2 million in new machinery at Mountsorrel and help secure the future of the quarry’s 100-plus workforce.

John Bradshaw, national key account manger (Network Rail) for Lafarge, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to see our long-standing relationship with Network Rail continue for a further five years.

‘This contract award gives us the opportunity to provide, potentially, similar quantities to what we’ve done previously, and will ensure Mountsorrel Quarry benefits from an investment of £2 million in processing equipment.’

The new contract continues a 20-year partnership with Network Rail, during which volumes in excess of 1 million tonnes of ballast have been supplied annually from Mountsorrel.

Around 95% of the new ballast being supplied will itself be transported by rail, thereby reducing road traffic, vehicle movements and consequent carbon emissions.

Other aggregates included in the tender include sands, gravels, civil grade stone and specialized Stoneblower aggregate – a small-grade ballast, produced to a very exacting specification, for use in maintaining the track and keeping it level.