DB Schenker Rail UK has launched its first services from Burngullow near St.Austell in Cornwall to London, transporting eco-friendly materials for the construction industry.
Another new railfreight service is carrying thousands of tonnes of aggregates from Cornwall to London for use in the capital’s booming construction industry. The aggregates are a by-product from the production of china clay and originate from a quarry at Burngullow near St Austell operated by minerals supply company Imerys, a world leader in its field.
Every tonne of china clay produced can generate between 5 to 9 tonnes of waste materials but a significant proportion of this is granite, which can be used as aggregate.
This waste Cornish granite meets the requirements of sustainable building in the UK and can be used to produce concrete, building blocks and asphalt. Traditionally much of the granite has remained in Cornwall but the increasing demand for eco-friendly sources of building materials combined with economic distribution methods means that the material can now be used in London and the South East, where there is a shortage of locally produced materials.
The material is shipped by rail by DB Schenker Rail UK to their construction hub in Stratford, East London near Queen Elizabeth Park, on behalf of London based S.Walsh & Sons. So far two trains have made the journey, each with 1,200 tonnes.
Westley Pickup, Commercial Director at S.Walsh & Sons, said:
“We are pleased to be working in partnership with Imerys Minerals and DB Schenker Rail UK in promoting the use of secondary granite aggregate for construction in Greater London. This service is helping to realise the potential of this material for construction projects and this will support the economy in Cornwall in the future.
“Cornish granite represents the largest untapped reserve of aggregate in the UK. Hundreds of millions of tonnes are available for use in concrete, building products and asphalt. We are now progressing plans to develop a network of manufacturing facilities to provide these and other sustainable building products in the UK through major investment.”
John Hodkin, Business Development and Services Manager at Imerys, added:
“We are very pleased to be a part of this new initiative, which is in line with Imerys’ strategy of focusing on greater sustainability around its operations. This will reducing the amount of china clay waste sent to landfill and will increase the use of secondary aggregates produced from industrial by-products.”
DB Schenker Rail UK is the UK’s largest rail freight operator and runs over 5,000 trains each week, including over 330 trains for the construction industry conveying around 400,000 tonnes.