Converted box wagons enter service

A partnership between Porterbrook and Heavy Haul Rail has brought new life to a fleet of old assets as 76 HHA Hopper Wagons have been converted into MWA-C box wagons.

The project, which began in December 2024, concluded last month with the final unit being delivered to Heavy Haul Rail.

Carried out at the WH Davis factory in Mansfield, the wagons were repurposed to carry construction materials and other bulk traffic, featuring a new design that maximises payload while reusing bogies, brake equipment and other components from the original wagons. This solution aims to prolong asset life and robustness in service.

Heavy Haul Rail is a new, standalone company following the sale of Freightliner UK’s Intermodal Logistics business and focuses on the bulk freight market. It moves 17 million tonnes of freight per year for customers working in the industrial, energy and construction sectors.

Max Ordish, Head of Freight and Commercial Projects at Porterbrook, said: “We are pleased to have partnered with Heavy Haul Rail Limited on this sustainable initiative, transforming these assets into market leading boxes with an important role to play, delivering volume across the network for many years to come.

“This highlights our ongoing focus to drive growth in the freight industry and support the increased movement of heavy goods and materials by rail.”

Alexandra Herdman, Senior Policy Manager at Logistics UK said: “Rail freight is an essential mode providing economic and environmental benefits, including serving as a low carbon option for the movement of goods.

“The conversion of these old wagons shows how retrofitting existing stock can help to prolong asset life whilst also reducing emissions.”