Direct Rail Services (DRS) is a rail freight company in Great Britain, and is one of the publicly owned railway companies in the United Kingdom.
Class 88 locomotive no. 88003 at InnoTrans 2016 on 20 September 2016
DRS Class 20 locomotive hauling a nuclear waste train, the original and continuing core service of the company
A pair of DRS Class 47s hauling a rake of carriages passing near Stretton, Derbyshire
DRS Class 37 and Class 68 cross with Mark 2 passenger stock at St Bees on the Cumbrian Coast line.
Rail freight in Great Britain
The railway network in Great Britain has been used to transport goods of various types and in varying volumes since the early 19th century. Network Rail, which owns and maintains the network, aims to increase the amount of goods carried by rail. In 2015–16 Britain's railways moved 17.8 billion net tonne kilometres, a 20% fall compared to 2014–15. Coal accounted for 13.1% of goods transport in Britain, down considerably from previous years. There are no goods transported by railway in Northern Ireland.
Three Class 37 locomotives hauling a coal train on the Rhymney Line in 1997
A goods train hauled by an LNWR Class C locomotive, passing through Crewe in 1907
A pre-World War II LMS Fowler Class 4F steam locomotive hauling a mixed freight train at Carnforth in 1964
Tinsley Marshalling Yard (pictured here in 1982) was one of several large yards which never handled the large volumes of freight required to make them economical. The yard is now closed but a new cargo terminal opened nearby in 2011.
