Major milestone reached as Sizewell C welcomes first engineering train to site
The first engineering train has arrived into the Sizewell C site, marking a significant milestone in the development of the new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast.
Reaching the project’s Ancillary Construction Area (ACA) on Monday morning, the train travelled via the Sizewell branch line – a route that has been significantly upgraded recently by Balfour Beatty Rail on behalf of Sizewell C.
The enhancement of the branch line is central to the project’s commitment to move 60% of construction materials by rail or sea, reducing road traffic, lowering emissions, and minimising disruption for local communities.
The engineering train delivered aggregate needed for the ongoing development of the site’s rail infrastructure, paving the way for more freight movements to support construction in the years ahead.
Damian Leydon, Site Delivery Director at Sizewell C, said: “The arrival of the first engineering train marks a major moment for the Sizewell C project and a clear demonstration of the progress we’re making. This is testament to all the hard work from those involved, from engineers to contractors and stakeholders.
“As rail deliveries increase in the months and years ahead, we’ll continue to reduce our carbon footprint and minimise disruption to the community. This is an important step toward building a power station that will serve the nation for generations.”
Rail deliveries are expected to scale up in phases, with up to four freight trains per day at peak operation. This includes trains using the project’s Green Rail Route which, once complete, will provide a direct connection from the existing branch line to the project’s Temporary Construction Area, bypassing Leiston entirely.
Each freight train is expected to remove around 50 HGV journeys from local roads.
Tom Emanuel, Project Lead, Balfour Beatty Rail, said: “It has been immensely rewarding to see the first of two large rail heads at Sizewell C come to life. This new infrastructure will enable the efficient movement of materials via the rail network to help build Sizewell C. It has been realised through the meticulous planning, innovative mindset, hard work and determination of our expert delivery team and supply chain partners who will relish the arrival of this important milestone train.”
As part of upgrading the Sizewell branch line, Sizewell C is renewing 4.5 miles of track, replacing jointed rail with continuously welded rail to reduce noise, upgrading level crossings, and installing a new signalling system. It is also upgrading sections of the East Suffolk line which runs from Ipswich to Lowestoft.
The Sizewell branch line has historically seen very low levels of traffic, with no daily passenger services since 1966.
While rail has already supported the delivery of bulk materials to the Ancillary Construction Area, Monday’s arrival represents a step change as the project scales up its use of low carbon logistics.
Following construction of Sizewell C, both the Green Rail Route and the line serving the ACA will be reinstated to their original condition.
