Network Rail's £8m recycling facility (From This Is Wiltshire)

Network Rail's £8m recycling facility

Network Rail is now gearing up to transform a railway yard in Westbury into one of the biggest track materials recycling hub in the country, as the company receives planning permission from the council.

Once completed, the new £8m recycling facility will help build a greener railway in the South West of England, while bringing 20 jobs to Westbury town.

Nearly 25% of disused track materials from Britain’s rail network - 110,000 concrete sleepers and 30,000 tonnes of rail and fixtures – will be recycled to cut industrial waste on the railway.

The majority of concrete sleepers to be recycled will be moved by rail, removing nearly 1,200 of unnecessary lorry journeys from the roads per year. Recycled concrete sleepers will either be reused on the railway across the Western route or sold on to other industries, especially agriculture, to pave roads and build bunds. Rails and fittings will be processed into the scrap metal market and used in steel manufacturing.

Martin Elwood, director, National Delivery Service unit of Network Rail, said: “The 21st century railway will also be an eco-friendly railway. Westbury recycling centre will have a vital role to play in helping Network Rail achieve that vision and that’s only possible with the tremendous support from the community.”

For track materials that can only be moved by road, Network Rail will only be using designated heavy goods vehicle routes to avoid disruption to nearby residents.

In a bid to protect and promote the environmental diversity in the area, Network Rail has helped created three new habitats to re-home protected reptile species found on the site. The company is also working closely with ecological specialists to protect foraging and commuting bats by reducing light spill into the surrounding woodlands.

The new facility will be equipped with 1km of sidings and 5 acres of concrete pavement for storage and handling the track materials. Preparatory work has started and construction of the centre will begin as soon as the technical design is completed. Operation of the recycling centre is expected to be in full swing by Spring 2010.