Chesterfield rail businesses Archives - Destination Chesterfield

RMS Locotec announces Chesterfield move, strengthening town’s rail sector

25th April 2025

RMS Locotec, the industrial railway specialist, has consolidated its leasing and maintenance operations in Chesterfield – home to Europe’s largest cluster of rail related businesses.

The move brings together teams and assets from multiple locations into an existing transport and engineering facility less than 500 yards from the grave of George Stephenson, the father of industrial railways.

RMS Locotec has also appointed Lauren Parker to the new role of General Manager. Lauren, who joined RMS in 2010, will now be responsible for growing the business, strengthening relationships with existing customers and expanding into new markets.

RMS Locotec leases locomotives, provides rolling stock maintenance and engineering support, as well as infrastructure services to customers at depots, ports, terminals and quarries across Britain.

Lauren Parker, General Manager of RMS Locotec, said: “I’m really looking forward to deepening our relationships with existing RMS customers, so we can help meet both their current and future needs. I also want to expand the business by sharing our industrial railway expertise and capabilities with new clients.

“As we consolidate our business in Chesterfield, we will also be looking to play an active role in organisations that promote both our sector and the strategic value of industrial railways.”

RMS Locotec currently has 16 shunting locomotives on-lease with a variety of passenger and freight operators, as well as with customers in the logistics, shipping and aggregate sectors. The business also has a further six locomotives available for spot, temporary or long-term hire.

RMS Locotec infrastructure teams inspect and maintain track assets at more than eight locations across the UK.

Chesterfield is home to a skilled rail sector, and is investing in facilities to strengthen its local talent pool. This includes the Derbyshire Rail Industry Innovation Vehicle (DRIIVe), currently under development next to the historic Barrow Hill Roundhouse.

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Chesterfield rail firm receives order for environmentally friendly shunting locomotive

27th January 2025

A Chesterfield company has received an order for a zero-emission shunting locomotive, following a positive trial period.

Heidelberg Materials, which supplies heavy building materials, has ordered its first zero emission battery shunting locomotive to support internal rail operations at one of the UK’s leading quarry facilities.

The highly innovative 08e battery locomotive will be delivered by Chesterfield-based Positive Traction in the summer of this year and follows two weeks of trials with the 08e prototype in October at Heidelberg Materials’ Whatley Quarry in Somerset, the company’s largest UK quarry.

Heidelberg Materials’ 08e shunter will be upgraded to zero emissions operations by repurposing an existing 60-year-old vehicle from its current operational fleet and removing its carbon-based diesel power source, achieving an immediate reduction in carbon, NOx and particulate tail-pipe emissions. The move to zero emission shunting of thousand tonne trains within the Whatley Quarry site will also offer environmental benefits to nearby communities.

Alistair Gregory, Director of Positive Traction, said: “I’d like to thank the Heidelberg Materials team at Whatley Quarry for inviting us to trial the prototype 08e last year and for their swift move in placing an order for an 08e designed with their specific and demanding requirements in mind. All of us at Positive Traction are hugely excited by Heidelberg Materials’ recognition of the opportunities presented by repurposing existing traction to meet the zero emissions demands of tomorrow’s railway.”

Vincent Pitt, Area General Manager at Heidelberg Material’s UK, said: “Our order for a battery powered 08e shunter is part of Heidelberg’ Materials’ 2030 commitment to reduce scope 3 emissions in delivery transport by 15 per cent from our 2019 baseline and to be fully carbon neutral by 2050.

“We were enormously impressed by the trial of the prototype 08e easily mastering 1,000-tonne aggregate trains on what is a steep and challenging internal quarry network in places. By offering a donor vehicle for conversion by the Positive Traction team we can capitalise on our existing assets and secure the long-term future of these powerful shunting locomotives in a sustainable way.”

Maggie Simpson, Director General of the Rail Freight Group, said: “This is an excellent example of the aggregates sector partnering with an innovative UK SME to deliver zero emission rail movements in a very demanding operational environment. I congratulate both Heidelberg Materials UK and Positive Traction on this announcement and look forward to seeing the 08e in operation later this year.”

Find out more about the benefits of locating your organisation in Chesterfield: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/