GB Railfreight signs multi-million-pound wagon leasing contract

GB Railfreight has confirmed that it has signed a multi-million-pound contract for the leasing of 52 Ecofret2 Intermodal Wagons from VTG Rail UK Ltd.

The news comes after GBRf announced recently the leasing of 32 Ecofret2 triple wagon sets from VTG which will enter service in 2020 and 2021.

Increasing the proportion of goods carried by rail is key to helping the UK to deliver on its economic goals, say GBRf.

Ecofret wagons allow for more containers to be carried per train, meaning more efficiency and also helps improve the spacing and reducing turbulence when trains are travelling at high speed.

All the wagons will be manufactured in the UK, with operating and maintenance being managed by teams in Birmingham and Peterborough.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said: “I am delighted to announce that we are continuing our relationship with VTG. Over the years, time and again we have been very pleased with their wagons and the improved levels of performance and capacity we can therefore offer our customers. VTG is leading the way in containerised transport and adding even more Ecofrets to our fleet is part of our continued growth plan. As a business, our goal is to offer the best possible service to our customers and we are investing heavily in the wagons which will enable us to expand our operations, whilst also providing the extra freight capacity the industry really needs. Today's announcement is also further evidence of the role GBRf and the rail freight industry as a whole will play to get the British economy back on its feet following the COVID-19 crisis. We will continue to do our bit to keep the economy on track.”

Rob Brook, Head of Rail UK for the VTG Group, added: “VTG is thrilled to have been selected as the supplier of the next generation of container wagons for GB Railfreight and looks forward to providing them with the highest levels of service, efficiency and reliability. Our longstanding relationship with GBRf has seen the introduction of numerous new wagons, each helping to support their expansion for more than a decade. We appreciate the trust they have placed in VTG by choosing us as their partner for this new chapter in their ongoing success story.

“As a leader in innovation, VTG has made further significant investments in the Ecofret design ensuring that the new Ecofret2® wagon will bring even greater in-service benefits than its ground-breaking predecessor. With its improved loading flexibility and brand new, track friendly bogie design, this new wagon builds on the efficiency benefits provided by the original Ecofret since its introduction seven years ago, and will help GBRf continue to meet the growing demands of the Intermodal market. As with all new VTG wagons, Ecofret2® will be fitted with our ‘Connect' telematics system, part of the traigo platform, which allows users to subscribe to a range of GPS-based tracking and monitoring services”

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