Sustainable transport methods
Through the transportation of aggregates by rail and barge Lafarge eliminates hundreds of thousands of vehicle movements each year; reducing pollution and cutting congestion.
Transporting aggregates to where it is needed is one of the greatest challenges facing the quarrying industry. As issues such as traffic congestion, pollution and road noise become evermore important; Lafarge has taken the initiative to seek alternative ways to transport its products.
As a result of this approach Lafarge has developed the most extensive rail network in the industry and is able to transport more materials by non-road methods than any other UK operator.
Extensive rail network
The company's rail operations cover four major quarries running more than 200 wagons to 15 distribution depots across the country.
Lafarge's innovative Self-Discharging Train (SDT) enables bulk aggregate to be delivered quickly and efficiently across the UK, realising significant reductions in the energy emissions associated with road transportation. The SDT comprises 120 trucks connected by a conveyor, and four discharge cars. Each car features a boom which can unload aggregate up to 13 metres from the car without impeding an adjacent track. The SDT system halves the time it takes to deliver new track ballast.
To view a video showing how the SDT can be used please click here.
Another way to transport aggregates is via Britain's canal network and a number of Lafarge sites make use of canals to reduce pressure on the country's roads. See below for more information.
When transportation by road is the only option, the company ensures distribution is as efficient as possible by investing in new artic fleets and undertaking regular driver training to reduce fuel consumption.
Transporting materials by barge |
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Lafarge continues to invest in moving bulk aggregate materials by barge along some of Britain's beautiful canal infrastructure and into a handful of UK Wharves. In the Midlands Lafarge moves up to 200,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from Besthorpe, near Grantham up the River Trent and along the Eire & calder canal to Whitwood Wharf on the outskirts of Leeds.
This process reduces the need for tens of thousands of lorries of lorry movements and reduces CO2 emissions considerably. It also safeguards an increasingly rare wharf facility. In total, Lafarge runs a dozen barges in a continuous loop between Besthorpe and Whitwood with the journey taking two days each way.
The Whitwood wharf was the subject of considerable investment through a grant by the DTI (now BERR) and Lafarge continues to provide an important service to the Leeds construction market.
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