Nuclear Transport Solutions’ (NTS) rail division of Direct Rail Services (DRS) has launched a new service for delivering aggregate by rail to help with a project at a low level waste site in Cumbria.

Nuclear Transport Solutions’ rail division was launched in April 2021 through the amalgamation of its rail and shipping divisions into a single transport organisation.

These were originally Direct Rail Services (DRS), International Nuclear Services (INS), and Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL).

Two trains a day will run four days a week from Shap quarry to Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS) Low Level Waste (LLW) Repository site near Drigg in Cumbria.

The trains will carry aggregate for a Southern Trench Interim Membrane (STIM) project that will replace a protective barrier over the legacy disposal trenches at the site.

In total, 64 trains will transport 46,000 tonnes of material by rail, yielding significant environmental benefits.

According to emissions figures calculated by government figures for CO2e, there will be a saving of 100,000 kg of CO2 emissions and the elimination of 2,320 lorry journeys travelling a total of 150,000 miles.

The new service will be the first time Direct Rail Services has used its fleet of 25 JNA-Z box wagons, which were procured from VTG Rail UK in 2024.

Each wagon has a gross laden weight of 101.6 tonnes and a tare weight of 24.2 tonnes, giving a payload of 77.4 tonnes.

Each train will deliver over 750 tonnes of material, equivalent to that carried by 36 HGVs.

The movement of waste is a three-year project, which will require the operation of more trains later in the project.

“Rail is the obvious choice for bulk movements like these, taking many thousands of lorries off the road, reducing congestion, and improving the environment. “This is the first of many movements for our box wagons, and I look forward to seeing them running across the country.”

Gottfried Eymer, NTS Rail Managing Director