Kronospan is the UK’s leading manufacturer of high quality wood-based panels and associated products. Combining unrivalled manufacturing experience with the very latest scientific and technical innovations, Kronospan fulfils the needs of thousands of customers nationwide in the furniture, construction, distribution and DIY industries from its production facility in Chirk, North Wales.

There are 50,000 timber deliveries per year by both road and rail to meet the factory’s capacity of 1,500,000 tonnes of raw material for panel production.

Colas Rail is contracted by Kronospan to haul timber from Carlisle to Chirk and from the West Highlands to Chirk (North Wales). This equates to several hundred thousand tonnes of timber being moved by rail annually, in excess of a thousand train journeys, which provides a significant environmental benefit by removing approximately 10, 000 lorries off the road.

Colas Rail has a full loading facility and wagon maintenance in Carlisle.

Colas Rail currently hold the lease to Arrochar and Crianlarrich.