Colas Rail UK is a leading provider of On Track Plant and Freight Services. We work in collaboration with our customers, to offer a safe, flexible, adaptable and reliable service.
We are committed to keeping our fleet on track and fully operational at all times. With dedicated facilities and fully trained maintenance staff, we operate a 24/7 service all year round and provide a high level of expertise in rail operations and logistics across the UK.
Our services include the operation and maintenance of On Track Plant and Rail Freight, Rolling Stock Refurbishment and Maintenance, as well as Rail Grinding and Milling services.
Our maintenance depot accommodates On Track Plant and Locomotives up to 148m long and undertakes the servicing and repair of our On Track Machines, Plant and Locomotives by our fully trained staff. We also have operational depots across the breadth of the country, enabling us to offer nationwide coverage.
On Track Plant
We operate and maintain the largest, most advanced fleet of On Track Plant in the UK.
Plant plays a major role in our business and our machines have the flexibility to work on all types of track layouts, including modular designs, S&C and plain line track to the highest levels of quality and efficiency.
Our maintenance division is spread across a large network of depots throughout the UK, ensuring nationwide availability and giving us the ability to deliver safely, quickly and with ease, allowing us to provide value for any day-to-day maintenance contract requirements anywhere in the UK.
Our Tampers
Tampers vertically position the ballast with a small circular motion, when the necessary depth has been reached the ballast is set in motion and compacted under the sleepers. Our tampers offer continuous high capacity tamping with simultaneous ‘Dynamic Track Stabilisation’ allowing high speed line hand back after track renewal and maintenance activities.
The machines tamping tines insert the correct consolidated ballast under each sleeper for uniformity. They are guided by computers to ensure track treatment is to high track speed standards and are piloted by a team of highly trained operators who possess driving, operational and fitter credentials.
Our fleet of Tampers are designed to maintain track quality, service reliability and enable trains to travel safely enhancing the ride quality and efficiency.
Our On Track Machines
Our Kirow 1200 is a heavy-duty rail-based crane with a maximum lifting capacity of 125 tonnes and offers precision lift and carry functionality. This allows our crane to lift a load and travel to the required location within a worksite. The crane can be used for multiple tasks, including lifting sections of track during replacement works, installation and removal of overhead line gantries, bridge reconstruction and can also be deployed on a derailment site to recover the derailed traction. The Colas Rail UK Kirow 1200 rail crane is compatible with Network Rail’s modular Tilting Wagon system making it a very versatile piece of kit.
Rail Freight
We are a national Rail Freight operator with a reputation for providing effective, safe, secure and reliable services across all market sectors.
Since 2007, we have been operating an ever-expanding portfolio of Rail Freight services throughout the UK.
Our capabilities include nationwide coverage, supported by a 24/7 Operations Control Centre. A flexible and adaptable team of drivers and ground staff are ready to react to urgent customer requests and a variety of locomotive traction to meet a variety of customer needs.
We place a strong emphasis on continuous improvement, ensuring we are always exploring ways of improving safety and performance. We also place a strong emphasis on working collaboratively with our customers to achieve joint safety improvements.
Environment
Rail Freight’s sustainable credentials compared to road haulage are considerable, particularly with increased focus on environmental issues. A tonne of goods can travel 246 miles by rail on a gallon of diesel, compared to only 88 miles by road.
Rolling Stock Refurbishment & Maintenance
To keep our fleet on track, our depot in Rugby enjoys all the facilities that you would expect to find in any major railway maintenance depot.
Our extended depot accommodates On Track Plant and Locomotives up to 148m long and undertakes the servicing and repair of On Track Machines, On Track Plant and Locomotives with fully trained staff ensuring the highest levels of competency are offered through a service that operates on a 24/7 basis throughout the year.
Facilities at the depot include a fuel point delivery system, lifting equipment, maintenance roads for rail vehicles under cover with pit road facilities, concrete hard standings for the calibration of rail vehicle equipment and fume extraction systems. Our workshop, stores and welfare facilities provide our staff with a clean, modern and safe working environment where they can work on rail vehicles in all weather conditions.
Our maintenance staff are highly skilled and experienced and continually trained and assessed to meet the competency system management requirements.