The wagons were assembled in Romania and arrived at Wembley, London, before passing an acceptance and inspection process ahead of their handover to GB Railfreight (GBRf).
David Golding, Asset Director at GB Railfreight explained the company's effort to decrease emissions: “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 can transport heavier freight using fewer emissions than road haulage. This demonstrates our clear commitment to decarbonize the industry, in supporting the government’s net zero strategy.”
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.
Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight at Porterbrook said: “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.”
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.
John Brown, Head of Sales at Greenbrier highlighted the long-term collaboration: “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.
All these 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.
