DB Cargo UK: north London site "becomes UK's first net zero freight terminal"

DB Cargo UK believes it has created the country’s first ‘net zero’ freight terminal.

The new terminal at Cricklewood, north London, is used to transport aggregates and waste construction material in and out of the capital.

DB estimates each of its trains carries the equivalent 129 HGV loads while the terminal contains other features that slash its carbon footprint.

These include acoustic barriers to reduce the impact of noise and dust on nearby residents, the planting of nine species of trees on unused areas that have been rewilded, recycling water, using Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil on its on-site machinery, more fuel-efficient machinery and a drive-through wheel wash that’s reduced water consumption.

The operator is now working to have the terminal’s environmental performance officially credited.

DB Cargo UK’s Sustainability Manager, Stacie Scullion, said: “For years now we have talked about the environmental benefits of transporting freight by rail rather than road, however we can make an even bigger contribution towards helping the UK meet its carbon reduction targets by the way we operate our sites,” she said.

“At Cricklewood we’ve tried to incorporate as much mitigation as we possibly can into our operations which not only has an environmental benefit, but a significant social value too in terms of improving the quality of life for those residents who live nearby.”

The Cricklewood terminal was previously home to several mixed-use industrial units before planning permission to convert it into a rail freight terminal was approved in 2018.

Construction was completed in March 2020, and the site now handles up to one million tonnes of aggregates per year and 500,000 tones of construction waste.