New ‘Pop up’ depot to serve construction market and remove lorries from roads

DB Cargo and Cemex have opened a ‘pop-up’ depot at Warrington, designed to serve the North West construction market and reduce the number of HGVs operating in the High Peak area.

The depot was installed in weeks on land next to the West Coast Main Line, using a ready-made weighbridge and office.

It will handle around 125,000 tonnes of aggregates per year. The material is transported from Dove Holes Quarry in Derbyshire on two weekly trains, with each carrying around 1,540 tonnes. This removes up to 150 HGVs from the roads.

“A pop-up rail depot can be installed in weeks rather than months, and gives the flexibility to move aggregates from quarries to areas where they are needed, especially in the short term. So with the right piece of land close to the rail network you can create a depot,” said Mark Grimshaw-Smith, head of Cemex Rail and Sea.

Mick Tinsley, head of Sector, Building, Infrastructure and Construction at DB Cargo, added: “The pop-up depot and service we provide demonstrates how rail transportation is becoming more flexible and innovative.”