First repurposed wagon for Tata's South Wales steel slab flows enters service with DB Cargo UK

Refurbished wagons are starting to appear on DB Cargo UK’s steel slab traffic in South Wales.

The firm is repurposing 60 BAA wagons for carrying steel slab and coil traffic to and from Tata Steel’s Port Talbot steelworks.

DB is carrying imported steel slabs from Newport’s Alexandra Docks and Cardiff Docks to Port Talbot, with covered coil trains also heading back to Newport.

DB Cargo UK has worked with sister company DB Cargo Polska to breathe new life into its BAA wagons and make them capable of carrying the new loads.

New 40ft frames fare manufactured in Rybnik, Poland, before they are sent to the UK for final fitting, assembly and testing at DB Cargo UK’s wagon maintenance facility in Stoke.

The first example entered service in February.

DB Cargo UK’s Chief Sales Officer Roger Neary said: “Tata Steel is one of the UK business’s biggest customers, which is going through major change to further improve its long-term sustainability as well as its environmental and economic performance.

“DB Cargo UK is an integral and important part of Tata Steel’s supply chain, and the delivery of these new wagons will play a pivotal role in its smooth transition to green steel production,” he added.

Last year, the freight operator completed the conversion of 29 redundant BYA wagons from covered vehicles into open carriers capable of transporting either hot coil or steel slab.

The two furnaces at the Tata Steel-owned site were taken out of service last year.

In February the firm received planning permission to build an electric arc furnace as part of a £1.25 billion overhaul of the site.

Tata Steel says the new furnace will be greener, with scrap steel being brought into Port Talbot to form new products and transported out again. The furnace is due to be complete by late 2027.

In the meantime, steel slab and coil is being imported and processed for customers.

Earlier this week GB Railfreight announced it had started its own flow between Portbury, Bristol, and Port Talbot, while DB Cargo UK has been running services since the end of 2024.