Freight trains return to Nottingham site after four-year absence
Freight trains are running from a Nottingham metal recycling site for the first time in more than four years after waste management specialist Ward restored a disused rail connection.
The company, which acquired the site earlier this year, has resumed rail operations in partnership with GB Railfreight (GBRf), allowing processed scrap metal to be transported directly to steel industry customers.
Rail services restarted in August 2026, having been suspended under the site’s previous owners since April 2022.
Ward says each train can carry up to 1,800 tonnes of recycled metal, the equivalent of approximately 72 articulated lorry loads.
The move is intended to reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles required to transport scrap metal from the Nottingham site, while improving the efficiency of deliveries to steelmaking facilities.
Thomas Ward, commercial director at Ward, said: “As the demand for recycled metals continues to play an important role in the transition towards a more circular economy, efficient and lower-carbon transport infrastructure is essential to ensuring scrap metal can be moved reliably to where it is needed.
“The return of rail freight offers significant potential environmental and logistical benefits. Each train can transport up to 1,800 tonnes of material per day, equivalent to taking approximately 72 articulated lorries off the road.
“Rail also provides a more direct route into receiving facilities, helping to reduce the number of vehicle movements required within sites and supporting more streamlined material handling.”
The Nottingham operation will handle a range of ferrous scrap grades, with material sourced from Ward’s 12 sites across the UK.
Incoming scrap is checked against quality specifications before being loaded onto rail wagons using mobile cranes and loading shovels.
Ward said the restored connection would strengthen links between its recycling operations and the steel industry, while reducing reliance on road haulage for bulk deliveries.
Thomas Ward added: “By combining our on-site processing expertise and working with GBRf as a dedicated rail freight partner to reinstate established material supply routes, we can provide a robust link between scrap metal collection, processing and the steelmaking supply chain.”
Phil Amos, head of energy and industrial at GBRf, said: “It’s fantastic to see freight trains moving out of Nottingham again.
“Bringing rail back into a site like this is exactly what we want to be doing: moving more material by rail, taking lorries off the road and giving customers a smarter, more efficient way of getting their goods where they need to go.
“There’s huge potential for rail in the movement of recycled metals, and we’re really pleased to be working with Ward to get this traffic back on the railway.”
