UK: GB Railfreight operated what is expected to be the final coal train to a British power station on June 28, delivering fuel from the port of Immingham to Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire.
The service carried what is scheduled to be the last shipment to Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station as it prepares for closure on September 30. On arrival GBRf named Class 66 no 66781, ‘Ratcliffe Power Station’ to mark the occasion.
First commissioned in 1967, Ratcliffe is the last operational coal-fired power station in the UK.
‘The final coal train to Ratcliffe power station will be an historic moment. Coal and rail have been pivotal in driving British prosperity for centuries’, said GBRf Managing Director John Smith ahead of the event.
‘GBRf has been transporting coal to the station for many years. Whilst we rightly recognise that coal must be phased out for the UK to successfully transition to a modern, zero-carbon economy, rail freight will continue to play a key role in the economy of the future. GBRf is investing heavily in decarbonising the UK’s supply chains and allowing businesses to take full advantage of the environmental benefits that rail offers when compared with road freight’, he added.
