Ten years ago, Mendip Rail (a JV of Hanson UK and Aggregate Industries) agreed with VTG Rail UK for the leasing company to buy its fleet of 98 O&K and 105 LTF JHA hopper wagons. The ten-year contract included the replacement of these wagons at its end. VTG Rail UK committed to the task and ordered 203 new HOA hopper wagons at Greenbrier Europe. They will enter service in 2024. Each of the new wagons can carry up to 77 tonnes of aggregates.
Mendip uses this fleet to carry limestone from the Mendip hills to London and the South-East terminals for construction and infrastructure projects. Mendip Rail usually transports the limestone in so-called “jumbo trains”, each consisting of 40-50 waggons and replacing up to 154 trucks on UK’s roads. In London, these trains are split, and parts continue further south-east.
Mendip Rail has had a long-term contract for hauling its trains with Freightliner since 2019. The annual tonnage reaches up to 8 million tonnes of aggregate. As a result of this cooperation, Freightliner has also acquired a fleet of 8 Class 59 locomotives from Mendip Rail, repainting them into Genesee & Wyoming (mother company) livery of orange and black.
