By Matthew Legg

Last updated 13:37, Wednesday, 03 December 2008

A Cumbrian rail freight business has signed a £1m contract to supply building materials by rail to the nuclear industry.

Confident: Andrew Sumner from DRS

Direct Rail Services (DRS), of Etterby, Carlisle, will deliver aggregate to the ‘Vault 9’ project to extend the Drigg low level waste repository, near Sellafield.

The contract will secure jobs at the firm and will take 10,851 tonnes of material off the road.

The material will be moved at night along the West Coast Mainline in what is described as a first for the UK Rail industry.

Andrew Sumner, senior commercial manager at DRS, said: “The deal is great news for the company and the people who work here.

“We are confident we can deliver the work well and impress companies in the nuclear sector sufficiently to get more work in future.

“The Vault 9 contract is a prestigious one and we hope that as the nuclear sector expands, possibly with the building of new nuclear power stations, we can continue to win contracts.

“This will be a unique contract because the work will be done on the mainline overnight. No passenger services will be affected.”

The aggregate will be provided by Cumbrian quarry company Bardon Aggregates Bardon will supply 150,000 tonnes of hardstone aggregate from Eskett, Frizington and Bardon’s Ghyll Scaur quarry, near Millom. Much of the material will be shipped by sea with a rail loading facility at the Cumbria County Council-owned Workington docks taking material from Eskett. A temporary rail siding has also been set up at Millom to link with Ghyll Scaur.

Permission has also been granted to hold stockpiles in a farm field near the line.

DRS provides rail freight services for clients including the Sellafield nuclear plant, Tesco and Morrisons. The firm employs 170 people at Carlisle, including 49 train drivers.