Cars made at Toyota’s Burnaston plant to be exported on trains fuelled by old vegetable oil

Cars built in Derbyshire are to be transported using trains fuelled by vegetable oil under a new £2.6 million plan.

Vehicles manufactured at the Toyota plant in Burnaston are to be exported using locomotives powered by the eco-friendly hydro-treated fuel, it has been announced by DB Cargo UK, the country’s leading transporter of finished cars.DB Cargo is to invest £2.6 million in its depot at Toton, Nottinghamshire. Hybrid Corollas made at the Burnaston plant will be sent to France and the Czech Republic, while Toyota Aygo, Yaris and the new Yaris+ vehicles will be imported on the return leg, Services will start in January, subject to planning.

A locomotive newly named ‘I Am A Climate Hero’ will be used to transport the cars; it runs on fuel made from used vegetable oil.

DB Cargo is building a vehicle storage compound, as well as loading and unloading areas, on a disused section of the Toton site next to an existing paint shop and stores.

The firm said up to three trains per week are planned to depart from the new facility, each carrying up to 230 finished cars.Leon van der Merwe, vice-president of supply chain at Toyota Motor Europe, said: “As a company we are dedicated to making continuous progress towards carbon neutrality and this includes seeking ways to reduce emissions from manufacturing, vehicle use and logistics.

“By utilising this new rail freight multi-modal opportunity, we are helping to ensure our low emission hybrid electric vehicles built at our British Burnaston plant can be transported to our customers in an increasingly sustainable way.”

Andrea Rossi, chief executive at DB Cargo UK, said: “This is a really exciting collaboration between DB Cargo UK, Toyota and STVA, which will breathe new life back into redundant land at our Toton depot.

“It’s a win-win-win for STVA, Toyota and ourselves and will see us deliver an efficient and environmentally-friendly rail logistics solution for one of our most important automotive customers.

“Each train will carry the equivalent load of around 23 road transporters.“Our rail solution will not only reduce congestion on the UK’s road network but will also generate significantly less CO2 emissions than if they were taken by road.”The announcement was made during a visit by Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris who was on a fact-finding mission to learn more about DB Cargo UK’s use of hydro-treated vegetable oil fuel in its diesel locomotive fleet.

“Trains are one of the most eco-friendly ways to transport goods and DB Cargo UK is leading the way in making it even greener,” said Mr Heaton-Harris.