GB Railfreight (GBRf) has signed a new 10-year locomotive leasing deal with rolling stock leasing company, Akiem.
Under this agreement, GBRf is investing 25 million GBP in increasing the number of locomotives across its operations.
“Over the past two years we’ve seen a significant growth in rail freight, with new customers and markets coming to us for support with their supply chains. This new deal with Akiem is part of our commitment to maintain this growth and offer a more sustainable alternative to transporting goods across the UK.”
The 11 Class 77 and Class 66 locomotives will be delivered from continental Europe between January 2023 and May 2024. Further investment will then be made to ensure the locomotives are compliant for UK service.
The first of the locomotives is expected to begin operating on the UK rail network by summer 2023.
“We are very pleased to be adding such renown and appreciated Cl66 & Cl77 locomotives to the UK market while strengthening our partnership with GBRf. In a few months’ time, when our mainland European high-performance Cl 66 & Cl77 have been converted into locomotives perfectly adapted to the UK market, thanks to the GBRf teams technical expertise, they will greatly contribute to the development of rail freight across the United Kingdom”
