Cemex: aggregates firm outlines plan to increase rail freight use by 50%

Cemex is looking to increase its use of rail freight by 50% over the next five years.

The aggregates company currently moves around 20% of its materials in the UK by rail, while 55% of all the traffic coming out of its Dove Holes Quarry in the Peak District is by train.

Last year, that equated to approximately 1,500 loaded trains, operated by DB Cargo UK and GB Railfreight, taking building materials out of the site (near Buxton) to depots near London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. DCRail also comes to collect on behalf of a customer.

The material in those trains is the equivalent to 45,000 new houses.

In total, the company ran more than 2,000 trains across the country in 2024, removing around 150,000 truck journeys from the roads.

An estimated 100 loaded trains a week use the Peak Valley line, transporting aggregates from Cemex, Breedon and Tarmac, all of which have neighbouring quarries along the route.

Mark Grimshaw-Smith, Cemex’s Head of Rail and Sea, told RAIL the company is looking to invest in the quarry to address the growth in demand.

At present just one of the four roads has a top feeder to load wagons. That means some trains need to be prepared across two roads - some material is fed from above into wagons before the train moves out and is propelled back into another siding, where a digger completes the loading with stone that isn’t connected to a top feeder.

“We need to be able to load faster and load more trains. We are seeing what we can do to invest in our existing depots to up our game,” said Grimshaw-Smith.

Cemex is looking to install a top feeder on a second road, which would increase capacity by trains no longer having to take up two sidings to be loaded, and by preventing shunting movements which block access to the terminal.

There are also plans to install another stabling siding, while the arrival a few years ago of specialist company Victa Railfreight, which manages the terminal and drives trains up to the Network Rail boundary, has increased efficiency.

All trains departing Cemex’s site have a minimum of 24 wagons, but the company aims to increase that to 25 over the coming years.

Cemex is also looking to expand its operations with up to three new depots over the next two to three years. Exact locations haven’t been confirmed, but Grimshaw-Smith said the company is looking to “strengthen its presence in the South East”.

He explained: “To open a new depot, you need 150,000 tonnes a year to justify the expenditure. You need to find an existing dormant connection you can reinvigorate.”

The constant flow is needed, as even re-establishing an existing connection can cost around £10 million.

Grimshaw-Smith also highlighted areas of concern that make expanding rail freight operations harder. Although Cemex’s services are often ready to go on schedule, Grimshaw-Smith said it was “50/50” as to whether arriving empties turn up on time.

“That’s one of the constraints when increasing load capacity,” he explained. “There has to be a buffer to get things on time.”

Like others in the freight sector, Cemex is concerned about network access, particularly under Great British Railways, despite the government setting a rail freight growth target of 75% by 2050. “Pathing is a concern. There are paths around out there, but it’s not easy having to pick our way through passenger routes. We are concerned with new legislation that freight has not been properly consulted,” said Grimshaw-Smith.

“We need protection of existing paths, and will we have fair access for additional paths that are demand-driven? If a depot goes any more than two days without a train they’re running out ”

And describing the recent Trafford Park announcement as “not great”, he added: “How will traffic get