Tarmac boost rail freight capability from Mountsorrel

New fleet of wagons help company increase its rail transport capacity by more than 15%

TARMAC have increased their rail freight capacity from Mountsorrel Quarry, in Leicestershire, with the arrival of new state-of-the-art rail wagons. A total of 96 new high-capacity hopper/box wagons – each able to carry up to 77+ tonnes – will help the company to deliver construction materials more efficiently to its wide network of terminals across the Midlands and South East.

Already in operation, the new rail fleet (leased from European hire firm Ermewa) has increased Tarmac’s train capacity by more than 15%. The state-of-the-art wagons are fitted with track friendly bogies, designed to reduce impact and wear, resulting in both reduced track access and maintenance expenses. The additional payload per wagon allows Tarmac to move more material with fewer train journeys.

Chris Swan, senior manager rail and shipping for Tarmac, said: ‘The new rail fleet operating from Mountsorrel enhances our capacity to meet customers’ requirements for high-quality construction materials and underlines Tarmac’s commitment to support more efficient, sustainable transport and a lower-carbon built environment.’

Approximately 60% of the aggregates produced at Mountsorrel are delivered by rail through sidings at Barrow upon Soar – more than any other quarry in the region.

The company currently moves around 9 million tonnes of construction materials by rail each year; minimizing carbon emissions on the road and supporting its goal to reduce transport CO2 levels by 10% per tonne by 2020.