Representatives of British Steel, CBG, Trackwork and Pandrol on British Steel’s Scunthorpe siteBritish Steel has won its largest ever order for rail sleepers with a major export deal for West Africa. The company will export 244,000 of its steel sleepers to Guinea to upgrade the railway line at a bauxite mine in the mineral-rich country. The steel sleepers are 100% recyclable and provide a more durable, low-carbon and cost-effective solution for track operators.
Jérôme Bonef, British Steel’s export sales manager — rail, said: “This is fantastic news for our business, particularly given the high level of competition we faced to secure this contract. Our steel sleepers provide the perfect technical solution to the challenges facing rail operators in this region and we are proud to have been chosen to support such a major project.”
Guinea is estimated to have more than a quarter of the world’s supply of bauxite and as it continues to increase its export capacity, it needs to upgrade existing freight lines. British Steel’s contract with the Guinea Bauxite Company (Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée, CBG) will see it deliver 20,000 tonnes of its 436 profile steel sleepers over the next year.
The UK manufacturer has partnered on the project with
Trackwork, which processes the rolled sleeper into its finished form, and
Pandrol, which is providing the railway fastenings to secure the sleepers.
Mr Bonef continued: “We have long-term partnerships with Trackwork and Pandrol. Together we are able to provide a complete global supply chain solution involving processed steel sleepers and railway fastenings. This enables us to meet all heavy-haul technical requirements and deliver a cost-effective and timely solution to our customers.”
Steel sleepers are stronger and more durable than wooden sleepers, which have been traditionally used in African regions. Steel sleepers are also 100% recyclable. Additionally, the transportation of steel sleepers is more efficient than the transportation of their concrete equivalents as they are lighter and more easily stacked – road vehicles can carry three-times more steel sleepers than concrete, significantly reducing transportation costs.
Dave Roberts Trackwork sales manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be part of securing this contract; the most significant single order for steel railway sleepers in the long history of our partnership with British Steel. Succeeding in the face of such high-level competition bears full testament to the expertise, competence and quality within our long-established global supply chain.”
Iqbal Chadda, Pandrol sales and commercial director UK, said: “Pandrol are proud to have collaborated in this unique project, which brings together the finest range of British products and expertise in order to provide a complete sleeper and rail package for West Africa. The Pandrol team worked alongside British Steel to design a bespoke cast steel shoulder with an E-Clip, that together provide an anti-vandal feature.”