GB Railfeight has invested in a brand new fleet of high capacity wagons in order to meet increased demand due to signing a five year contract extension with Sibelco Europe.

Sibelco Europe has 200 sites in 41 countries and supplies silica sand from quarries and deposits that can be crafted into glass.

As a result of the contract extension, GB Railfreight will continue to transport silica sand from Sibelco’s quarry in Kings Lynn to Guardian Industries’ UK plant in Goole, and glass sites owned by Ardagh Group in Barnsley and Doncaster.

GB Railfreight will be leasing over 40 new 101.6 tonne hopper wagons from Nacco. The leases will be for a minimum of five years, with the option to extend the agreement later on. The new wagons will be able to hold 70 tonnes each, which is almost double the load potential of the company’s older wagons. The new vehicles also operate on more efficient and track-friendly bogies. Protecting the environment is one of GB Railfreight’s main corporate responsibilities and the company has recently introduced a fleet of electric locomotives in an aim to cut carbon emissions.

UK Logistic Manager of Sibelco, Andrew Smith said: “The glass industry is incredibly important to Sibelco and maintaining the high quality of our product and service is critical, these new wagons will enable us to supply our customers with confidence for the future.”

Managing Director and founder of GB Railfreight, John Smith said: “This contract extension with Sibelco is a primary example of close working between ourselves and the customer to better understand what is needed to improve services. In this case, it was agreed that we would invest in new-build hopper wagons to increase capacity and efficiency.”

Smith has worked in the rail industry for 33 years and is currently a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.