GB Railfreight (GBRf) has signed a new ten-year agreement with Wabtec that will see the global rail technology company take responsibility for maintaining GBRf’s intermodal wagon fleet at the operator’s Peterborough Maintenance Hub.
The long-term partnership marks a significant shift in how wagon maintenance is delivered in the UK rail freight sector. For the first time, Wabtec will deploy its KinetiX inspection system on a UK freight fleet – a laser-guided, high-speed imaging technology capable of capturing up to 20,000 images per second as wagons pass through the facility.
The system will support pit-stop-style inspections and servicing across GBRf’s fleet of 585 FEA intermodal platform wagons. By combining rapid image capture with detailed asset data, KinetiX enables highly accurate condition monitoring, allowing maintenance teams to identify emerging issues earlier and target interventions more precisely.
Using the insights generated by the technology, GBRf and Wabtec will move towards a proactive, lifecycle-based maintenance regime. Wagons will be assessed according to calculated wear and remaining life, helping to reduce in-service failures, improve fleet resilience and increase overall availability for customers.
Liam Day, Director of Assets at GB Railfreight, said the agreement represents a step change in fleet management. He noted that the ability to access detailed, data-driven insight into asset health would enable smarter maintenance decisions, enhancing reliability while setting a new benchmark for wagon maintenance in the UK freight market.
For Wabtec, the contract further strengthens an established relationship with GBRf and underlines growing demand for digital inspection and predictive maintenance solutions across rail freight. Tim Bentley, Regional Vice President at Wabtec Services UK & Ireland, said the combination of KinetiX technology, skilled engineering teams and a dedicated maintenance hub would help transform how wagons are maintained, delivering improved performance and sustainability.
The agreement reflects a wider shift within the rail freight sector towards technology-enabled maintenance models that prioritise reliability, efficiency and long-term value. As freight operators seek to move more goods by rail and reduce disruption across the network, partnerships that combine digital innovation with operational expertise are likely to play an increasingly central role.
