We are celebrating after scooping a prestigious rail industry award in recognition of our commitment to boosting innovation, operational efficiency and our collaborative efforts to support the UK’s rail freight network.
We are proud to have secured top honours as the ‘Business of the Year’ at the Rail Freight Group (RFG) Awards for our contribution to growing and expanding the industry. This includes the business’ investment in new technology, rail-linked facilities and wagons, as well as collaborative working to drive decarbonisation and sustainability.
The judges commended Tarmac for providing “a clear voice in rail industry organisations and bodies” which “leads by example”, citing some of our key innovations and initiatives, including the successful introduction of the first ‘jumbo’ freight trains on the west coast mainline and a partnership with the University of Derby seeking to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.
Chris Swan, head of rail at Tarmac, said: “With net zero becoming an ever-greater priority, the rail freight network is becoming more important in the UK than ever before and we’re proud to play a significant role in the industry and its future. We’re constantly reviewing how we operate to integrate new innovation and ways to accelerate efficiency and decarbonisation, not just from our own operations but across the industry as a whole.
“Rail freight is a hugely important, yet often unseen part of our daily operational activity serving the UK construction industry. To receive the RFG’s Business of the Year Award is testament to the importance of rail freight to our operations and its significance to the construction materials sector. A huge thank you goes to our freight partners for their ongoing support and, most importantly, to our dedicated rail team here at Tarmac.”
In addition to the award, we also secured the runner up spot in the ‘Community and Environmental Responsibility’ category for a partnership with Rail Forum Midlands and the University of Derby. Established with the aim of exploring how businesses could work more effectively with the rail supply chain, the partners launched the Opportunities for Decarbonising Freight challenge – a chance for SMEs to pitch new products and creative ideas with the aim of helping the industry to reduce its carbon footprint.
Tarmac is proud to be one of the UK’s largest users of rail freight and we constantly look for ways to further innovate operationally – both in terms of saving carbon and improving service delivery to customers.
Pictured are Tarmac’s rail team. From left to right are John Fotherby (sidings manager), Dean Hindle (rail operations manager), Chris Swan (head of rail), Ben Garner (rail contracts manager) and Deborah Brydie (rail operations manager).
