Eco-conscious haulage firm turns back time to reopen Leyland railway sidings for first time in 26 years

This week, Blackpool-based Fox Group – which specialises in the supply and haulage of aggregates – began their expansion into rail with the opening of a site in Leyland, part of a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The railhead sidings at Enterprise Business Park, which were initially built in 1953, were relayed in 2018 and utilised by Network Rail for storage during the Blackpool electrification scheme, but they haven’t been used to transport materials since 1997.

All this has now changed, thanks to two years of work by the Fox Group, alongside teams from Lancashire County Council.

The first journey

On Monday, January 9, the first train arrived in the newly-opened railhead, arriving from Tunstead at 10.42pm loaded with aggregates. The Freightliner train held 1800 tonnes of material, the equivalent of 95 eight-wheeler loads.

The railhead allows the group to further enhance their sustainability initiatives. In June 2022 they welcomed the UK’s first Electric tipper wagons, have multiple electric plant machinery and have invested in further electric wagons which will be delivered later this year.

So how much C02 is saved?

To haul 1945 tonnes to Leyland Business Park from the company’s quarries, it would take 108 trucks totalling: 13,716 miles compared to 177 by train.

If it was done by truck, it would be 22 tons of carbon emissions but via rail, that’s brought down to seven tons of carbon emissions.

The journey

The train, Freightliner 6N42 7.02pm Tunstead-Leyland, was routed through Chinley and New Mills on what was part of the old Manchester Midland Main Line between Manchester and London.

It then passed through Altrincham before joining the West Coast Main Line just south of Warrington and heading north through Warrington and Wigan before arriving at Leyland.

The history of the railhead sidings

The railhead sidings were built in 1953, specifically to manufacture the Centurion Tank at the outbreak of the Korean War, managed by the Ministry of Supply.

The sidings were then taken over by Leyland Motors in 1956, superseded by British Leyland, who used the sidings until 1986, bringing in car and bus parts for the factories on the business park. The siding then remained in use bringing in various parts up until around 1997.