Network Rail’s first preference is to transport goods by rail.
In a bid to minimise road movements Network Rail is to build a 300,000 square foot national road haulage distribution centre on the site of the former Peugeot plant at Ryton in the West Midlands.
The £25m centre will create approximately 100 jobs when it opens and will be a significant hub for Network Rail’s National Delivery Service. The NDS will have direct access to the A45 and the motorway network. It will also help reduce the cost of the railway by centralising previously leased properties in Lichfield, Worcester and Ludgershall and will cut Network Rail’s carbon footprint by reducing road fleet mileage.
Says Martin Elwood, director of Network Rail NDS, ‘Network Rail’s first preference is to transport goods by rail. This is not always the right solution so we have an extensive road fleet to transport goods and equipment to our work sites and depots.
‘By bringing the logistics for this together at Ryton we can offer a more effective and efficient service for Network Rail. This will mean reduced costs and faster turnaround times when we do work on the railway.’ The former Peugeot plant was closed in 2006. Originally it produced aircraft engines during the Second World War.
