VTG Rail UK won the prestigious Freight and Logistics Achievement of the Year category at the National Rail Awards last night (Thursday 21 September) for its conversion of redundant coal wagons into revenue generating aggregate hoppers.
Rob Brook, VTG’s Managing Director said: “We saw there was going to be an issue with having coal wagons redundant following the government’s decision in April 2015 to double the carbon ‘floor price’ - effectively pricing power station coal off the rails.
“We were convinced that this problem could also be a business opportunity, so we invested in the conversion or, as we call it, repurposing.
“As coal carriers, the wagons were 18.3 m long with a maximum payload of 75 tonnes. Now they are shorter but payload is increased to 78 tonnes.
“This conversion is cheaper than producing new build wagons and the customer is able to carry significantly more product in the same number of trains of the same length, which delivers demonstrable benefits for the customer.”
“On behalf of everyone involved in the conversion or repurposing project I thank the judges for recognising the hard work they have put in and the results we have achieved.
“It’s another example of VTG pushing the boundaries for the whole industry and delivering success.”