Class 66 Ownership and Operational Changes Review

Direct Rail Services, (DRS) - one of Britain’s freight operating companies, has reduced the size of its modern Class 66 fleet allowing Freightliner, Britain’s second largest freight operating company, take on the locomotives with immediate effect.

Class 66

DRS has recently expanded its Class 37 and Class 47 fleet at rapid pace, with many workings expected to be hauled by the heritage fleet instead of using the more modern class 66 locomotives.

Freightliner, the UK market leader in container traffic, who had lost Class 66 locomotives when it began to take on Class 70 locomotives, cannot take back its original fleet, owing to them being exported to Poland, or being put to work for Colas Rail.

Freightliner took 66411, 66412 and 66413 on lease in October, which has now been supplemented by 66419 and 66420. 66411 will now go to Poland, to work for Freightliner’s Eastern European arm.

66412 is working on deep sea container work, from locations such as Felixstowe, Grain and Southampton. 66413, 66419 and 66420 will be working for Freightliner’s Heavy Haul arm, where they will work Coal, Scrap and Stone or Aggregate trains.

DRS had previously allowed Freightliner to use its Class 66 locomotives on container services as Freightliner had shortages of diesel traction.

External Links

• Freightliner
• Direct Rail Services