The first 25 brand new JNA-X box wagons have successfully arrived in the UK and are now officially on lease with GB Railfreight (GBRf).
The wagons were assembled in Romania and arrived at Wembley this weekend before passing an acceptance and inspection process ahead of their handover to GBRf.
The delivery is part of the agreement for 50 new box wagons announced in March this year between Porterbrook, GBRf and Greenbrier. The remaining 25 wagons are expected to arrive in the UK before the end of this year.
The wagons, which are fitted with track friendly bogies, have been designed to optimise the tare weight, volume capacity, and payload with the shortest wagon length over buffers for the bulk material it will transport. The box structure is fabricated from high strength steel providing structural reliability and longevity over the life of the wagon.
David Golding, asset director at GB Railfreight said: “It’s great that we now are ready to roll out these high-strength and reliable JNA-X box wagons.
These will be vital to us in delivering more sustainable freight, as we are able to transport heavier freight using fewer emissions than road haulage. This demonstrates our clear commitment to decarbonise the industry, in supporting the government’s net zero strategy.”
With each tonne of freight transported by rail producing 76% less carbon than road haulage, the new box wagons will support the green recovery and help to deliver a more sustainable railway.
Mark Wyborn, head of freight at Porterbrook said: “It is a very proud moment for all of us at Porterbrook to be able to hand the brand-new box-wagons over to GB Railfreight, ready-to-go out on the railway and support rail freight growth.
“This partnership demonstrates Porterbrook’s long-term commitment to investing in rail freight. Together with Greenbrier, we have all had to overcome significant local and global challenges to keep the production and delivery of these wagons on schedule. Seeing them now arrive in the UK is a true testament to the dedication and teamwork shown by everyone involved.”
The three companies have also partnered to produce 100 Greenbrier ’60 intermodal twin wagons, the first of which are also due to arrive in the UK in the coming weeks.
John Brown, head of sales at Greenbrier said: “We are delighted to see the first box wagons delivered to the UK, demonstrating this excellent partnership with Porterbrook and Greenbrier which goes back over fifteen years.
“Our cooperation and team work to overcome many challenges together during this project is evidence of our long-term commitment to supply these box wagons to our customers on time.”
