The first of GB Railfreight’s rebuilt Class 73s was due to begin testing at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough as this issue of RAIL went to press.
GBRf spends £50m on new Class 66/7s and Class 92s 05/02/2014 in Network
Twenty-one brand new Class 66/7s have been ordered by GB Railfreight, with delivery beginning in July.
The operator has also purchased 16 second-hand Class 92s, adding up to the largest single acquisition of locomotives since EWS bought 250 Class 66s in 1996.
The two deals represent investment by GBRf of more than £50 million on new locomotives, as it looks to expand its business. The company currently has a turnover of £108m, and expects to reach £150m within five years.
GBRf Managing Director John Smith told RAIL that the new Class 66s will be built by Electro Motive Diesels at its Muncie assembly site in Indiana. They will be the first ‘66s’ built for the UK to be manufactured at the site, and will be delivered in two batches of eight and one of five, with the first batch due to set sail in June. All will be in the UK by September.