TruckandTrackAutumn2019

www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2019 Truck and Track 79 RAILFREIGHT Almost a mile of track has been replaced on the approach to London Liverpool Street, the third busiest station in the UK, to provide a more reliable service to passengers. Engineers working in the Bishopsgate tunnel carried out the track renewal over six consecutive weekends to replace the old track which had come to the end of its working life. In total, over 1550 metres (approx.1698 yards) of track was replaced, alongside installing new rail sleepers and ballast. Owing to the difficulty of working near a major London railway terminus station – as well as keeping passenger services running during the week – passengers may have noticed that a section of platform 1 was used to store all the necessary equipment for the duration of the works. The teamalso faced challenges of working in a confined space, with limited ventilation and close to a sewer. MickCooper,projectmanagerforAnglia,said:“Theprojectpresented many challenges, most notably working in the third busiest railway station in the country, and keeping as many passengers moving as possible. “The condition of the track meant there was risk of track circuit failures due to flooding if thework was not carried out, andwewere able to carry out most of the work while keeping trains running. “Now that the work is complete, I hope this provides passengers with a more reliable service for many years to come.” Almost a mile of track replaced in Liverpool Street tunnel Maritime Transport (Maritime) has launched two new dedicated rail services from DP World London Gateway to its rail terminals in Trafford Park and Wakefield, advancing its expansion into the intermodal market in response to rising customer demand. Commencing on 24th June, the two daily services hauled by DB Cargo UK are Maritime’s fifth and sixth to date, following the launch of Maritime Intermodal in April. With the capacity to move up to 76 TEU in each direction, both services are hauled by class 66 locomotives liveried in Maritime’s colours, which operate Monday to Friday on export services, and Tuesday to Saturday on imports, providing customers with a seamless link between DP World London Gateway and the large manufacturing and consumer conurbation in Northern England. Maritime also plans to increase the number of trucks stationed at several of its strategically-placed depots nearby to support this increase in volume. Maritime has seen consistent growth in its container throughput at each of its rail terminals, illustrating its ability to deliver reliable services as well as having the capacity to offer flexibility which is crucial to customers’ supply chains. Commenting on the additional services, Chief Executive Officer, Simon Smart, stated: ‘Maritime continue to invest and commit to our strategic and long-term plan of developing a truly flexible and competitive intermodal product to the industry. We are delighted to extend our rail services via DP World London Gateway, complementing our existing services from Felixstowe and Southampton. As our national coverage and network increases, we are able to adapt to the ever-changing situation within the container transport sector, and offer our customers a complete and cost-effective package.’ Works have already commenced on Maritime’s fifth locomotive, Maritime Intermodal Five, which is currently stationed in the workshop as Maritime looks to target further services from its new terminal under construction at East Midlands Gateway, Castle Donington, which is due for completion in November, and capable of handling up to 16 trains per day. James Leeson, Head of Port Commercial at DP World London Gateway, said: ‘We’re extremely pleased to be maintaining our close relationship with Maritime, and being involved with the implementation of a first-class solution that delivers an exceptional servicewhilstofferinghugeeconomicbenefits.Theadditionaltrains will provide much greater scale, scope and services for customers, particularly as we continue to see growth in our container volumes at the port.’ Maritime Intermodal launches two new rail services fromDPWorld London Gateway LOADS MORE FOR THE PALLET NETWORKS 01543 420 121 www. deker .co.uk