Rail freight UK

GB Railfreight (GBRf) have today confirmed that they are investing in two new state of the art simulators, which will form part of their new training school at Peterborough. At a total cost of £850,000, they will be the UK’s first and only full cab freight European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) capable simulators. They will be used by new and existing drivers for basic training, advanced training as part of the Driver rules exam, Mentor and Instructor training and post incident reconstruction. They will initially cover the journey from Kings Cross to Peterborough, and are designed with a route building tool which will enable the addition of all other GBRf routes going forward. The new simulators are being built with the recycled remains of locomotive no. 66734, which was involved in a landslip derailment at Loch Treig back in 2012. Now in the final months of construction, the simulators are being fitted out in France at Corys, having been subject to a fantastic refurbishment by EMD Longport in 2018. The simulators are due for completion in June 2019. John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said:

“GB Railfreight has always been committed to training, both internally and externally- We are training the railway employees of the future. The GBRf training team is currently overseeing the establishment of a?new training school at Peterborough, which will?provide?a state-of-the-art learning environment for all?trainees, including 3 high tech classrooms and the new simulators. When finished, these simulators will enable us to provide cutting edge training not only to GBRf staff, but the wider rail industry. We are hugely exited for their completion.”