GB Railfreight to run Drax services exclusively on renewable diesel in 2025

Photo: GB Railfreight

GB Railfreight, one of the U.K.’s leading transporters of goods for businesses and consumers, has signed a 12-month agreement with leading renewable energy company Drax to use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel, for its rail-freight services.

Throughout 2025, GB Railfreight will operate its rail-freight services from the Port of Liverpool and the Port of Tyne to Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire, exclusively on HVO.

Since 2016, GB Railfreight’s trains have moved over 15 million metric tons of sustainable biomass between Peel Ports, Liverpool and Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire.

The biomass hauled by these 10,000 train journeys—equivalent to three journeys per day—helps Drax Power Station to provide enough power for up to 4 million homes and businesses.

The Selby site provides around 8 percent of the U.K.’s renewable energy and around 4 percent of the country’s total electricity usage.

These services play a critical role in supporting the U.K. energy security and transition to net zero.

GB Railfreight said this HVO agreement is another milestone in the company delivering its decarbonization strategy, with it recently announcing that its Class 99 locomotives will run solely on electricity or renewable fuels like HVO.

Marketed as one of the world’s greenest fuels, HVO is synthetically produced through the hydrotreatment process using vegetable oils or animal fats.

This significantly reduces the harmful carbon-dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions when used in diesel locomotives.

“We’ve had a strong relationship with Drax for over 12 years and I’m delighted that, together, we’ve agreed to use HVO to deliver our services,” said GB Railfreight CEO John Smith. “This is one of many initiatives within GB Railfreight’s carbon-reduction plan that will support the U.K. government achieve its ambitions to make the U.K. a clean-energy superpower.”

Mark Gibbens, the head of logistics at Drax, added, “This agreement marks an important step in our commitment to sustainability and innovation in transport. By exclusively using HVO for rail services, we are reducing our supply-chain emissions and supporting the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions. We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with GB Railfreight, helping drive both energy security and the U.K.’s decarbonization goals forward.”