GB Railfreight

29/07/2026

History made!

Yesterday, we operated our first commercial Class 99 service, with locomotive 99001 departing DP World London Gateway for Hams Hall in the West Midlands.

Four and half years of planning, engineering and testing - thank you to everyone involved in getting us to here.

As you will see, Mr Smith was incredibly happy and proud at London Gateway.

DP World Network Rail

24/07/2026

🦺 Work Safe = Home Safe

We’re proud to launch our new Work Safe = Home Safe campaign as part of our 25th anniversary year.

Since 2020, we’ve invested more than £22 million in safety, wellbeing and working conditions across our business, from upgraded facilities and improved site safety to new technology and the introduction of our Class 99 locomotives.

At the heart of the campaign is a simple message:

➡️ Every colleague deserves to return home safely at the end of every shift.

As our CEO John Smith OBE said: “Nothing is more important than making sure we all get home safely.”

17/07/2026

It’s official!
 
New ORR figures show that GBRf is now the UK’s largest rail freight operator, as we celebrate 25 years since running our first train. 
 
🚆This milestone has been built by the dedication of our colleagues, the trust of our customers and continued investment across our business.
 
Thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey.
 🚆💙

Photo credits; Robert Sherwood.
66759 passing Teignmouth Docks

16/07/2026

Yesterday, we named locomotive 66745 ‘Wigan Springs Branch’ in honour of the brilliant team behind one of our key seasonal maintenance hubs.

Whether it’s tackling leaf fall 🍂, managing snow and ice ❄️ or helping control vegetation 🌱, the team works year-round to keep the railway safe, reliable and moving.

The depot supports six daily MPV circuits across the North West and North Wales, as well as four locomotives based at Mossend in Scotland. It’s work that often happens behind the scenes but makes a huge difference to passengers and freight customers every day.

A big thank you to everyone at Wigan Springs Branch whose hard work and dedication make such a difference every day. This one is for you. 👏

10/07/2026

Everyone loves a 99 flake in the sun! 🍦 🍦 ☀️

Thank you John Rees for sending this photo in.

Send us any snaps you have of the Class 99 in the sun! E-mail them to [email protected]

03/07/2026

We’re now weeks away from our first Class 99 commercial service. Here’s a great photo sent in this week of 99010, 99001 and 99002, passing Metheringham.

Thanks David Barnsdale for sending in this one 📸

Keep sending in your Class 99 photos to; [email protected].

02/07/2026

“Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself 25 years ago?”

Plenty of memories and reflections on our second episode of the podcast from John Smith. And potentially more to come in the series…

📺 Watch’ When Jo met John’ on our YouTube channel. Link in our bio.

https://youtu.be/VAyF8nNSp6s?is=nz-b8GtY1NnIyZ8q

26/06/2026

Talk about perfect timing! ⚡

An incredible lightning strike behind 66786.

Have you ever captured a railway photo with dramatic weather? Share your best shots in the comments!

Thank you Henri Towe for taking this 📸

25/06/2026

John Smith looks back on his favourite GBRf memories 🎙️

Episode two of the GBRf25 Podcast is now live on our YouTube channel – “When Jo Met John.”

In this episode, John and Jo take a trip down memory lane, sharing some hilarious stories from the early days of GBRf. With a few hidden gems unearthed from the archives, they revisit old photos and reflect on how far we’ve come. They also answer questions sent in by colleagues across the business.

Filmed the week after Sunderland AFC secured European football, John was in particularly high spirits...

👉 “When Jo Met John” is available to watch now on our YouTube channel;
https://youtu.be/VAyF8nNSp6s?is=x9eNGf2AlvODnCim

GB Railfreight's CEO, John Smith, looks back on 25 years of GBRf in...

19/06/2026

A new chapter for rail freight.

Here is Class 99 locomotive 99003 departing London Gateway for Hams Hall this week, with a fully loaded intermodal service, a great sight on the network.

Thanks to for capturing this en route.