DB Cargo (UK) Limited’s Post

DB Cargo UK is the leading provider of breakdown and recovery services to the UK rail industry and we’ve recently taken delivery of a fleet of new vans to bolster our operations. The ten new vans will be put into service across England, Scotland and Wales, providing a permanent replacement to our ageing fleet of Bruff road/rail vehicles which were taken out of service in 2023. The new, 7 tonne vans, will carry heavy-lifting and other recovery equipment, and have been specially adapted to ensure our recovery teams will be able to access even the remotest regions of the UK’s rail network. Head of Asset Management and Maintenance Jon Harman MBA MA FCILT said this latest investment would give the teams greater agility and ensure a speedier response to incidents. “The Bruff road/rail vehicles were built for us back in 1999 and have served us well over the years but the requirement to put them on the tracks when responding to incidents has greatly reduced. They will now be disposed of. “The equipment we use to recover locomotives and wagons has also become more compact and mobile, which means it’s easier to transport and these new vans are more than capable of delivering what we need on a day-to-day basis,” he added. Breakdown and Recovery Manager Sean Coulby CMgr MCMI said “This is a significant investment we’re making in our breakdown and recovery service which plays a pivotal role when things go wrong on the rail network. “As well as recently expanding the number of depots we operate out of, over the past two years we have also invested more than £2 million in new welfare vans and lifting equipment to improve our overall response to incidents,” he added. “Our teams work is both physically and mentally demanding and is often undertaken in challenging environments and harsh weather conditions. We’ve worked hard to ensure they have everything they need when out on site, which can sometimes be for weeks at a time,” he added.