The Railways and Britain's Nuclear Industry

The Railways and Britain’s Nuclear Industry

This book is about the important role played by the nation’s railways in Britain’s nuclear industry and how the need to secure that service through the turbulent period of privatisation led to the creation of the nation’s most diverse railway company, Direct Rail Services. A brief history of nuclear power in Britain and the technology behind it are reviewed, including the plants that processed the uranium, built the fuel elements and reprocessed the spent fuel. It goes on to illustrate the transport of the spent nuclear fuel from across Britain to the Sellafield Reprocessing plant in West Cumbria and indeed from across the world. In the 21st century the decommissioning of the first generation of reactors and a swathe of Ministry of Defence establishments across the south of England added to the waste already travelling by rail to the national Low Level Waste Repository, also in West Cumbria. The railways also transported chemicals for the nuclear industry, construction materials and at least in part - the industry’s workers too. Direct Rail Services took over all this traffic and then added to it by becoming a major player in the rail freight business as well as assuming a significant role in the nation’s passenger market.

Available: NOW

ISBN: 978 1 913295 65 3

Price: £14.99

Series: The Railways and Industry Series, vol 1

Format: Paperback, 96 pages

Author: David McAlone