UK: Tarmac has taken delivery of 53 hopper wagons and 48 open wagons built by Astra Rail which it is leasing from Ermewa for use on trains from its Mountsorrel quarry in Leicestershire to terminals across the midlands and southeast of England.
The wagons have a capacity of more than 77 tonnes, with the 15% increase on previous vehicles enabling the same quantities of aggregate to be moved with fewer trains. The track-friendly bogies also attract reduced track access charges and maintenance expenses.
Tarmac says approximately 60% of the aggregate produced at Mountsorrel is dispatched by rail, and across the UK the company sends 9 million tonnes of material by rail each year.
