Home › Freight › Colas Rail (freight and infrastructure)
Colas Rail (freight and infrastructure)
6locomotive classes in service
1liveries recorded
1ports, terminals and yards it serves
Facts
- Legal name
- Colas Rail Limited (company no. 02995525)
- Owner
- Colas (Bouygues group) (as at October 2026)
- Founded
- September 2007 (Wikipedia infobox; grew from Seco Rail, merged 2008)
- Headquarters
- UK registered office Westminster, London; Rugby (Mill Lane plant depot); group HQ Courbevoie, France
- Traffic
- aggregates, timber (Kronospan), steel, coal (historic), Network Rail infrastructure (haulage, ballast, RHTT), test trains (Class 43 power cars)
- Depots
- Rugby (Mill Lane)
unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓
Locomotives
| Class | Number | Note | As at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 70 | 17 | 70801-70817 (Wikipedia and ORR 2022 document agree on 17). | October 2026 |
| Class 66 | 5 | 66846-66850 (formerly Freightliner 66573-577). | October 2026 |
| Class 56 | 10 | 5 owned and 5 leased from Beacon at Feb 2025; 56087 and 56096 stood down and fleet to be run down during 2025 (RAIL). | October 2026 |
| Class 37 | 8 | 37025, 37057, 37099, 37116, 37175, 37219, 37254, 37421 (Wikipedia, 2024); ORR 2022 said 10. | October 2026 |
| Class 67 | 2 | 67023 and 67027 (Beacon-owned, leased back), returned to Colas by late 2023. | October 2026 |
| Class 43 | 10 | HST power cars (test trains, not freight); December 2023 expansion reported. | October 2026 |
Counts come from sources of different dates and are indicative. No drawings yet: the classes and their dimensions.
Liveries 1
- Colas yellow, orange and black current on Class 70, Class 66, Class 56, Class 37, Class 67
Yellow, orange and black tri-colour scheme with safety markings and logos (Class 70). Logo: yes, left off.
Described in words: no operator publishes colour codes, so none is given. The logo is left off every drawing (the site is independent of every operator).
Where it runs
Port of Grangemouth and Grangemouth Rail Freight Terminal
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 26 sources from Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, RAIL magazine and 7 more
- Colas Rail Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25fleet table, history
- Colas Rail UK home page Colas Rail Ltd, read 2026-10-25legal name
- Colas S22 7th supplemental agreement, supporting annex appendix C Office of Rail and Road, 2022-092022 fleet
- Colas confirms intention to reduce use of Class 56s during 2025 RAIL magazine, 2025-02-25Class 56 run-down
- British Rail Class 67 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25Class 67 return
- A pair of Class 70s for the Spring Diesel Festival (Severn Valley Railway) Severn Valley Railway, undatedyellow, black and orange
- British Rail Class 37 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25infobox, 2024 fleet summary
- Europhoenix Rail Ltd to continue after buy-out by aggregates firm RAIL magazine, 2026-07-3111 Europhoenix
- Direct Rail Services announces retirement of Class 37 locomotives Direct Rail Services, 2024-01-22DRS retirement
- British Rail Class 56 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25infobox
- British Rail Class 69 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25Class 56 body dimensions in the 69 rebuild
- Class 66 data sheet (Fiche Class 66 EN) Akiem (locomotive lessor), 20182,462 kW, 1,850 kW at rail, 75 mph (121 km/h), 129.6 t, length 70 ft 3 in (21.400 m)
- DB Cargo UK Fleet (undated page) DB Cargo UK, undated (read 2026-10-25)3,300 bhp, 75 mph (121 km/h), 70 ft 3 in (21.4 m), 129.6 t
- British Rail Class 66 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-2570 ft 2 in (21.39 m), 8 ft 8 in (2.63 m) wide, 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m) high; sub-classes
- Twenty DB Cargo UK Class 66s set for export to Romania RAIL magazine, 2026-01-19DB Cargo 137 active
- How Freightliner locomotive fleets are splitting after intermodal sale RAIL magazine, 2026-02-11Freightliner/HHR split
- Class 66 data (loco-info.com) loco-info.com, undatedwheelbase 57 ft 1 in (17.41 m), rigid 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
- 66702 _Blue Lightning_ Ely DGL 170522.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 21 May 2022the drawing's outline, layout and heights (rectified, level); the GBRf livery
- 66073 Toton 071022.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 14 October 2022the DB Cargo livery, the cab doors and details (ratios only)
- 66701 Toton 071022.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 14 October 2022a cross-check of the layout; GBRf's colours in overcast light
- Freightliner 66591 (no 1 end, left side).JPG (photograph, CC BY-SA 4.0) Wikimedia Commons (Geof Sheppard), 14 November 2021the HTCR bogie's layout and the wheel size (by ratio)
- 66 598 Rivenhall side on 231120.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 23 November 2020the bogie and underframe cross-check; the Freightliner livery
- 66847 and 66849 Eastleigh 301223.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 31 December 2023the Colas Rail livery (rectified on its grilles)
- 66421 Gresty Bridge TMD Wilsons Lane 231121.jpg (photograph, CC BY 2.0) Wikimedia Commons (kitmasterbloke), 23 November 2021the DRS livery's blue (read off its cab doors)
- Class 70 data sheet (Fiche Class 70 EN) Akiem (locomotive lessor), 20182,750 kW, 2,250 kW at the wheel rim, 120 km/h (75 mph), 129 t, 71 ft 3 in (21.710 m)
- British Rail Class 70 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-2571 ft 3 in (21.710 m), 12 ft 10 in (3.917 m), 8 ft 8 in (2.642 m), wheel diameter 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
.JPG){kind=link}
unverified
- Class 56 livery and whether Class 37, 56 or 67 share the Class 70 colours: no source.
- The 2026 status of Colas's Class 37 and 56 is to be confirmed.
- Wikipedia does not give a legal name; Companies House number from the Colas website.
Know a source for one of these? Send it to us → (opens in a new tab)