Up to 150,000 tonnes per annum of high quality coking coal, from the Park Wall North surface mine in the Wear Valley, will be shipped to the market over a three year period using a new coal transload facility at Wolsingham.
Using rail transport for most of the journey will create jobs in the local area, help reduce coal imports and cut carbon dioxide emissions compared to using only road.
Initially up to three trains a week will run from Wolsingham to a Scunthorpe steelworks, with the haulage contract being awarded to Colas Rail.
Class 66 locomotives will pull trains of up to 1,200 tonnes in weight and operating these over the Weardale Railway from Bishop Auckland to Wolsingham has involved detailed operational planning.
Gareth Williams, Managing Director for UK Coal’s Mining Division, said:
“This will allow the bulk movement of coal by rail, significantly reducing the overall environmental impact of our operations at Park Wall North, and we are delighted to be working with Weardale Railways and RMS.”
Coal from Park Wall North was moving solely by road but UK Coal was keen to take advantage of the potential use of rail transport via the Weardale Railway.
The seam of Durham coal that is currently being mined is believed to be untouched by former deep mining operations, creating the perfect conditions for the high quality coking coal required by major manufacturers in the UK market.
Rail Management Services will provide groundstaff and a Class 08 shunting locomotive at the transload facility serving trains operating over the Weardale Railway from Wolsingham to the connection with Network Rail at Bishop Auckland.
The Wolsingham loading point is located on the site of a former steelworks and coal will be stored here after a short road journey from the Park Wall North site six miles away.
The 18 wagon rakes will be split in half at Wolsingham to enable loading before being reassembled into a single train for transportation via the East Coast Main Line to Scunthorpe.
Ed Ellis, president of Weardale Railways, commented:
“This is a major step in our program of developing the railway into a viable provider of both freight and passenger services to the Wear Valley.
“We anticipate that these services will benefit the local area through increased economic activity, employment, and mobility. We are looking forward to a long and beneficial partnership with UK Coal and local communities.”
