Speedy opens specialist rail service centre

Speedy has opened a specialist rail service centre in the UK that will provide low-emission tools and equipment to rail contractors in the East Anglia region of England, UK.

The Speedy Rail Service Centre team at the East Anglia site.

Located near Bury St. Edmunds the new site will serve track maintenance and renewal service providers, as well as general rail industry contractors.

Daryl Doherty, director of rail at Speedy, said, “The Anglia region’s rail contractors have historically been underserviced by hire providers with equipment having to travel so far to reach them. This has put them at a disadvantage for achieving environmental targets due to the emissions associated with high levels of delivery miles.”

The opening of the new centre comes just months after Speedy pushed its environmental strategy forward with the appointment of its first Environmental, Safety & Governance (ESG) Director.

According to the company, which is aiming to reach its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, its new specialist rail service centre will “act as a local champion for battery-powered equipment”. 

Doherty said, “Supporting sustainability in the supply chain is critically important to us, with the location of this depot being equally as important to the significant range of eco equipment we’re providing.

“Many rail contractors’ contracts are still in their infancy, and are bound to the industry’s sustainability goals, so it will be crucial for their projects to meet carbon savings in the near term.”

Later this year, the company will showcase sustainable tools and equipment to local contractors at the new branch, which will also offer specialised range of sustainable trackside safety equipment such as eco lighting and trackside fencing.

The Speedy specialist rail centre already counts Stratford-based contractor 1stinrail among its clients.

“The contractor is hiring a variety of sustainable battery-powered assets for rail welding, track placement, renewal and maintenance projects from the Speedy specialist service centre,” it said.

Jamie Kelly, director of 1stinrail, said, “The Anglia rail specialist service centre has slashed the distance our equipment deliveries have to travel when working on local projects like the improvement works at Whittlesea Station in Peterborough.

“Previously, we would have had to travel almost 100 miles to source tools and equipment, but the new depot has more than cut this in half, significantly reducing our emissions.”

According to Speedy, it is helping 1stinrail lower the carbon footprint of its projects to fall in line with the Network Rail sustainability campaign.

Network Rail has committed to lowering its carbon emissions and posted its goals through the Science Based Targets initiative, which aims to reduce carbon emissions getting companies and state organisations to 

Network Rail has pledged to ensure that 75% of its suppliers have also signed up to science-based emission reduction targets by 2025.