The wagons, which were built for VTG at Greenbrier’s wagon manufacturing facility in Poland, arrived at Whatley Rail Sidings on 05 August, with the remaining wagons scheduled for completion and delivery throughout Autumn and up to May 2025.
The order forms a substantial investment with the new HOA hopper wagons destined to replace the aging LTF and O&K JHA hopper fleets which have been in operation for Mendip Rail since they were built almost 35 years ago.
Marc Hurn, Sales and Marketing Director at VTG Rail UK, said: “We are delighted to see the first batch of these brand-new HOA hopper wagons being delivered. VTG Rail UK has been the rolling stock partner of choice for Mendip Rail for more than 20 years and this very successful working relationship has been cemented even further with VTG completing this order for the MRL fleet.”
With up to 200,000 tonnes of aggregate moved by rail from quarries in the Mendip Hills every week, each new hopper wagon has the capacity to carry 77 tonnes of aggregate. Much of the limestone transported from the quarries is moved by Mendip Rail’s ‘jumbo trains’ for use in construction and infrastructure projects in London and the South-East. These mammoth trains typically consist of a mixture of between 40-50 hopper and box wagons, which equates to over 150 HGV road journeys. When the train reaches London, it is split for onward journeys to different locations across the South-East, creating massive environmental savings compared to road and easing congestion on London’s busy road network.
Joe Grady, Sales & Account Manager at VTG Rail UK said: "Delivering this first batch of HOA hopper wagons marks a significant milestone in our on-going partnership with Mendip Rail. These state-of-the-art wagons are a testament to our commitment to modernising rail freight transport, ensuring efficiency, and reducing environmental impact. We look forward to seeing the positive effect these wagons will have on both the rail network and the communities they serve."
Mendip Rail, a joint venture between Heidelberg Materials UK and Aggregate Industries, moves approximately nine million tonnes of aggregate each year from quarries in the Mendip Hills. Being able to move the limestone that is quarried from the hills by rail removes up to 10,000 lorry movements from this rural area’s roads very week. As a strategic partner, VTG offers its customers climate-friendly transport solutions by rail and is thus actively driving forward the decarbonisation of the economy.
Damien Preece, General Manager at Mendip Rail, said: "We are excited to welcome the first batch of our new HOA hopper wagons to the Mendips which will directly replace our ageing LTF and O&K fleet. Whilst we recognise the contribution and sheer volume of aggregate the outgoing wagons have delivered for both Aggregate Industries and Heidelberg Materials over the years, we are confident that replacing them will help us drive a number of efficiencies at our quarries that in turn will enable us to increase our levels of customer service and improve our reliability on the network.”