Penmaenmawr rail link reopens after a decade
Hanson invest £300,000 to repair, refurbish, upgrade, and reopen North Wales railhead
HANSON’s Penmaenmawr railhead in North Wales has reopened as part of the company’s UK rail strategy to reduce vehicle movements and cut associated CO2 emissions.
Hanson have invested approximately £300,000 to repair, renew, and refurbish the facility. This includes upgrades to the railhead conveyor that was last operational in 2012, before which the rail link was used on a regular basis to supply ballast to Network Rail.
The first service, operated by GB Railfreight, transported stone from Penmaenmawr Quarry to Hanson’s Tuebrook depot, near Liverpool. It was a trial to test equipment and uncover any operational or logistical issues in the supply chain within the quarry and to the railhead.
The aim is to load one train per week to deliver rail-borne aggregates into markets in the north-west of England. The volume of material transported in each load will be dependent upon its destination and the capacity of the network.
Aggregates regional director Becky Murphy said: ‘The reopening of our Penmaenmawr railhead is the first step towards re-establishing the long-term economic viability of the quarry, which also underpins the supply of asphalt and concrete products and so supports a number of local jobs both directly and indirectly.’
