British Steel has announced a ‘multi-million-pound’ investment to build a storage area for 108 m long rails and a dedicated train servicing facility to allow essential maintenance to Network Rail’s rail delivery trains at the delivery Scunthorpe site.
Work will start shortly on the new storage and servicing facilities, both of which will be built on British Steel’s Scunthorpe steelworks.
The first facility will provide increased storage capacity for 108 m long rails while the servicing facility will play a major role for the increase of reliability and performance for track deliveriy.
The announcement was made on the occasion of extension contract signing with Network Rail to deliver additional rails. The 2-year agreement sees British Steel retain its position as principal supplier to the Britain’s rail infrastructure manager.
By the time the contract concludes in March 2024, employees at British Steel’s Scunthorpe headquarters will have supplied Network Rail with more than one million tonnes of rail – circa 19,000 km in a decade.
“We’re extremely proud of our partnership with Network Rail and delighted to have extended our contract with them. This agreement is testament to the high-quality products and services our people deliver, and we look forward to continuing our work with Network Rail to ensure millions of passengers and freight operators enjoy safe, enjoyable and timely journeys,” British Steel’s Commercial Director for Rail, Craig Harvey, said.
The rails, which will largely be used for maintenance and renewals, will be supplied during Network Rail’s Control Period 6 (CP6) running between 2019 and 2024. The programme to maintain and improve country’s rail infrastructure is designed to make the railway more reliable and cost efficient while increasing capacity and building on its reputation as the safest railway in Europe.
Among the rails British Steel will be supplying to Network Rail are two long-life rail innovations – HP335 and Zinoco which will reduce the need for maintenance and replacement works.
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