Direct Rail Services (DRS), the rail division of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), has initiated a rail operation for the delivery of aggregate to the Low-Level Waste (LLW) Repository site in Cumbria.
During the initial phase, DRS is operating two trains per day, four days a week, transporting materials required for the Southern Trench Interim Membrane (STIM) project. The aggregate is being moved from Shap quarry to the LLW Repository near Drigg, reducing reliance on road transport. Each train carries over 750 tonnes of material, equivalent to approximately 36 heavy goods vehicles.
This operation is the first deployment of DRS’s JNA-Z box wagons. Over 64 planned train services, the rail transport of 46,400 tonnes of aggregate is expected to remove approximately 2,320 lorry journeys from the roads, equating to a reduction of over 150,000 road miles. Rail freight's lower emissions output compared to road transport is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by around 100,000 kg during this initial phase.
The aggregate deliveries will continue as part of a multi-year transport plan supporting the repository’s operations. Further train services are expected over the project’s three-year duration.
