Building on already strong relations, GB Railfreight (GBRf) has been contracted by Hanson to haul a new aggregate train service.

Hanson, a key supplier of building supplies in the UK, had been looking at ways of transporting aggregates into Liverpool to supply sites around the city.

To help move the aggregates, Hanson has teamed up with GBRf, a large UK Freight Operating Company (FOC), who will carry out the transport via rail.

Starting at Shap Quarry, trains weighing in at 1,800 tonnes will travel to Tuebrook in Liverpool, where the aggregates will be unloaded at a site with rail access and which is currently underused. The contract so far will see two trains run a week for a period of two years.

GBRf already provides rail freight services for Hanson out of Shap to Makerfield, where Hanson has an Ashton site, as well as other contracts between the companies. This new partnership comes as a positive note to the UK economy at a time of great uncertainty.

Managing Director of GB Railfreight John Smith said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Hanson once again. Having developed this new terminal, we have put the land to good use and will strengthen our deep commercial ties with an additional service.

“Given the economic picture remains mixed, it is great that our industry and the wider infrastructure sector continue to show leadership which will steer the country back on track after COVID-19. Today’s announcement is another example of this.”

Managing Director of Hanson Aggregate James Whitelaw said: “This is an exciting new venture for us in conjunction with GB Railfreight (GBRf) and is part of our plan to grow our UK network of depots.”

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