Freightliner has announced two significant five-year rail freight agreements with Breedon Group plc, extending its long-term partnership with one of the UK’s leading construction materials companies.
The first contract renews a long-established cement transport agreement, while the second introduces a new aggregate haulage deal. Together, they mark a major expansion in Freightliner’s role supporting Breedon’s nationwide logistics operations.
On Saturday 28 June, Freightliner operated its first aggregate service under the new agreement. The contract covers the movement of material from Breedon’s Dowlow and Shap quarries to Ashbury and Walsall, as well as deliveries to various third-party sites across the country.
Class 70 locomotives have been deployed on the new routes to enable longer, heavier trains, supporting both increased capacity and improved environmental performance.
In parallel, Freightliner is repurposing redundant coal wagons into aggregate box wagons to support the contract, working in collaboration with WH Davis and Porterbrook. The conversions, carried out at WH Davis’s Mansfield facility, aim to deliver a more sustainable solution for the UK supply chain while revitalising underused rolling stock.
Significant investment has also been made in a new maintenance and fuelling facility at Dowlow Quarry to ensure operational resilience and efficiency throughout the contract term.
Tony Power, Product Category Manager at Breedon Group, praised the partnership: “Our two new five-year agreements with Freightliner are a major step forward in our drive for safety, sustainability and efficiency improvements across our rail portfolio. Freightliner’s can-do attitude in delivering excellent service and performance has been key to satisfying the requirements of all stakeholders across the Breedon business.”
The renewed cement contract builds on a relationship that spans over 25 years. It covers the transportation of cement from Breedon’s Hope Cement Works to key distribution sites including Dagenham, Theale, Dewsbury and Walsall.
In addition to standard flows, the contract now includes the delivery of Alternative Raw Materials (ARMs) from Llandudno and Drax Power Station to the Hope facility, supporting Breedon’s decarbonisation and circular economy goals.
To handle the increased volume of traffic at Hope, Freightliner has invested in infrastructure upgrades at Earles Sidings, improving train turnaround times and enhancing reliability.
Dave Penney, Freightliner’s Managing Director – Heavy Haul and Rail Services, commented: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Breedon, continuing to operate the cement contract and commencing the movement of aggregates across the UK. Our long-standing partnership is a testament to the great service reliability that the Freightliner team deliver day in, day out for Breedon.”
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