LAFARGE Cement, in partnership with Freightliner Heavy Haul, is set to take 6,800 lorry loads off the road each year – 130 each week – with completion of its £15 million rail investment at its Hope works in Derbyshire’s Peak District next month.

Demolition of an old building has paved the way for upgrading of the rail link and sidings and construction of a key central control room and office, opened by High Peak MP Tom Levitt in June.

The new facility incorporates a million pound state-of-the-art laboratory and a £400,000 control room for 24-hour monitoring of an annual production of 1.3 million tonnes of cement for the Midlands and South East. It also houses offices and meeting rooms.

Mr Levitt said: “As Lafarge’s rail project nears completion we can see the benefits of this huge investment, particularly in terms of reduced impact on the environment through fewer lorries on our roads.”

An additional investment of around £5 million has been made in the design and manufacture of 48 tailor-made rail wagons to ensure best use of the upgraded rail link.

David Israel, commercial director, Freightliner Heavy Haul, said: “We welcome the commitment of the new rail development at Hope and, as Lafarge Cement’s partner in rail, we are also investing in our business with extra manpower and resources to meet the expected increase in volumes.

“We see this as bringing our partnership closer and building for the future, as demonstrated by our purchase of the fleet of PCA cement wagons
to match Lafarge’s ongoing requirements.”