‘Project of the Year’ award for Newhaven Port development

A Brett Aggregates scheme to breathe new life into an industrial port on the South Coast has gained recognition from the rail freight industry. In partnership with Network Rail, Brett has won the Rail Freight Group ‘Project of the Year’ award for its new multimillion-pound marine terminal at Newhaven Port, East Sussex, which opened earlier this year.

Brett Development Director Oliver Brown said: “Network Rail and Brett Aggregates have worked together to re-establish Newhaven Port as a key part of the rail freight network, enabling essential materials to be transported by rail and securing the long term freight use of the site.”

The project has rejuvenated redundant infrastructure to give the port a new lease of life after lying dormant for 30-years. The remodelling of old rail sidings has resulted in a railhead serving a new quayside processing facility for sea-dredged aggregates. Sand and gravel brought in by ship are processed then loaded onto trains for distribution to construction sites in Sussex, London, and the South East. Transporting freight by rail removes HGVs from the roads locally and also around the UK as one train can carry as much as 76 HGVs.

Shaun King, Network Rail’s route director Sussex, commented: “The Newhaven terminal will create jobs, remove vehicles from our roads as well as contribute to our growing rail freight network.”

Increased Future Demand for Rail Delivered Marine Aggregates

With the continued growth in demand for marine aggregates to be delivered by rail, Brett recently signed a new 10-year contract with rail freight operator DB Cargo for the transport of aggregates.

DB Cargo UK’s Head of Sales Roger Neary said the new contract further cemented the company’s relationship with Brett which was founded on strong teamwork and collaboration. “We’re proud of our partnership with Brett and look forward to delivering safe and reliable rail services for them for years to come,” said Roger.

Tom Longland, Managing Director of Brett Aggregates commented " This new marine aggregates terminal at Newhaven Port has access to over 50 million tonnes of consented marine aggregate. Newhaven is the third rail-linked marine terminal operated by Brett around the coast of South East England – the others being at Cliffe in Kent and Ipswich in Suffolk, where Brett has recently completed capacity enhancements.”