Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure, announced plans to convert a railway yard in Westbury, U.K., to a recycling facility. The facility will recycle track materials from Britain’s rail service.
The facility is expected to cost around £8 million (US$13.1 million) and will add 20 jobs to the company.
It is expected that close to 25 percent of disused track materials from Britain’s rail network - 110,000 concrete sleepers and 30,000 metric tons 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.”
Operation of the recycling centre is expected to be in full swing by this coming spring.