Iowa Pacific Holdings affiliates Weardale Railways CIC and Rail Management Services Ltd. (RMS) recently began handling coal from a new transload terminal in Wolsingham, County Durham of the United Kingdom.
The coal is produced at a U.K. coal mine and trucked a short distance to the transload facility. Trains operated by Colas Rail transport the coal to Tata steelworks in Scunthorpe.
The coal previously was moved entirely by truck, according to Iowa Pacific Holdings. Weardale Railway owns the terminal and rail line that accesses the transload facility; RMS provides switching and related services at the terminal.
“This is a major step in our program of developing the Weardale Railway into a viable provider of both freight and passenger services to the Wear Valley,” said Iowa Pacific Holdings President Ed Ellis in a prepared statement.
In addition to Weardale Railway and RMS, Iowa Pacific’s U.K. affiliates include the Devon and Cornwall Railway and Dartmoor Railway. The holding company’s U.S. operations include seven short lines in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Texas.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News
