DCRail, a leading provider of bulk freight services has entered a new three-year locomotive servicing contract with Leicester based UKRL.

With a fleet of Class 60 heavy freight locomotives, DCRail provides services to leading suppliers and users of construction and industrial minerals. The Derby based business, part of the Cappagh Group of Companies, has entered into a new agreement with UKRL of Leicester to undertake all servicing on the Class 60 locomotives. The regular examinations will be undertaken at the Leicester depot where UKRL undertake maintenance, overnight servicing, train care and fuelling for a number of rail vehicle types. This contract is a development of the previous agreement that

had been in place since April 2022.

David Fletcher, Director for Rail for the Cappagh Group of Companies said ‘’I am very pleased that our relationship with UKRL continues to flourish. Over the last two years we have worked together to maximise the availability of our locomotive fleet with the regular ‘B’ exams now being undertaken in under seven days and overall fleet availability increased to over 90%. This is a remarkable achievement on a small fleet of locomotives for which we plan 75% availability. The ability to minimise fleet down time means that DCRail can offer customers efficient supply chain solutions, reducing carbon emissions and assisting the move to net zero.

The businesses have worked together to bring a wide range of improvements to the fleet ranging from LED lighting to electronic governors. I would particularly like to thank the engineering teams at DCRail and UKRL for all the hard work that continues to go into developing this successful partnership.’’

Gareth Roberts, Managing Director of UKRL said “the signing of this contract builds upon a long and collaborative relationship between our respective teams. Together we’ve not only undertaken core maintenance, but also increased asset availability by significantly reducing downtime. This partnership spirit, underpinned by unrivalled expertise is now driving a joint focus on adding additional value and capacity to DCRail operations.”

Further information

For information on Cappagh Group or DCRail please contact David Fletcher at dfletcher@cappagh.co.uk

For information on UKRL please contact Gareth Roberts at Gareth.Roberts@ukrl.co.uk

About DCRail and Cappagh Group of Companies 

DCRail is a freight operating company that specialises in the movement of construction materials by rail for customers in the UK. It is part of the London-based Cappagh Group of companies which provides a wide range of construction services and has an annual turnover of over £200m. 

The Cappagh Group operates through its companies Cappagh Contractors, Cappagh Public Works, Express Concrete, Allen Watson and DCRail. www.dcrail.com www.cappagh.co.uk. 

About UKRL 

UKRL have been proudly serving the rail industry for the past ten years. Initially established as a locomotive leasing company, the business pivoted and adapted into maintenance to support a growing customer base. 

Our values of Customer Focus, Agility and Quality have remained at our core as we continue to grow and cement our place as the end to end rail service partner of choice. Our business is built upon the pride and expertise of our people, underpinned by our sites at Leicester and Loughborough that offer unrivalled capability across the rail value chain. www.ukrl.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Rob Reedman