DRS
Waste Train Tracking.
Freightmaster is a guide to rail-borne freight services, which include the scheduled movements of DRS Nukiller Waste flask movements
As of march this year there are no longer printed version of Freightmaster, but they contine to be available online.
New Logo.
DRS has just launched a new Logo.
The old one had a resemblance to the NATO symbol.
To quote the DRS website: –
‘ The modernised identity for Direct Rail Services (DRS) has been created to give a slightly differentiated yet family resemblance with the Nuclear Transport Solutions [ NTS ] brand.’
Waste Train Photos.
Meanwhile the latest issue of Railways Illustrated [ May 2021 ] has a four page photo feature in it about DRS.
Direct Rail Services in Scotland.
This feature includes a couple of photo of Nukiller waste trains. One of them includes the following caption which is of note: –
‘ As a rule of thumb, all nuclear trains with two locos to cover any potential breakdown.’
Waste Flask Movements.
On February 18th there was Waste Fuel flasks being taken from Hunterston to Sellafield.
Woops!
On March 1st there was a points failure outside of the Brigdewater goods yard. That is the one were Nukiller fuel flasks from Hinkley are transferred from Road vehicles to DRS rail wagons.
As as result of this points failure a DRS train hauling a solitary empty fuel flask was left to wait for four and a half hours.
If it had been the other way around, with the flasks full of radioactive used fuel rods, then it would have been somewhat worrying.
Half a century of Campaigning
Greenpeace [ London ] Marks 50 Years of Campaigning
It was on July 8th 1971 that Peace News published the original
Greenpeace You and Your Environment broadsheet.
This listed many ways in which an individual could take actions to save the environment.
Out of the broadsheet and people around Peace News that Greenpeace [ London ] came in to being. The group has in later years been referred to as London Greenpeace.
The early work of the group was centred around a campaign to stop French atmospheric Nukiller bomb tests in the Pacific.
Then in the mid 1970s the group started campaigning up the issue of nukiller power and uranium mining.
That included founding the founding of Stop Urenco.
This is how the group become of interest to the SDS spycops.
Currently the group and activists in the group are core participants within the Undercover policing inquiry.
Short News Updates
Springfields.
We noted with great interest the following headline in the Blackpool Gazette :-
Jobs face the axe at Lancashire’s key nuclear fuels plant
‘Around 120 jobs may be under threat at Lancashire’s nuclear fuels plant, as unions blame the government for dragging its feet on building new nuclear power stations.’
Wirral
Wirral Council is the local authority for the area just north of Capenhurst.
In march the council announced that it would use 100% renewable electricity from April.
This is due to concerns about climate change.
Cumbia Coal Mine
At the end of march we signed the following statement as part of the campaign to stop a new coal mine being created next door to Sellafield.
No Need for Expensive Public Inquiry – Just Block Licence to Drill Say Leading Organisations
Online Resources.
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung has just published the following: – The 7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solve climate change.
Forthcoming Events
– 64th Anniversary of the Windscale fire – October 10th.
– Fukushima Day – March 11th.
– The DRS Open Day – In July if it takes place next year.
What Next ?
After what will be almost a year and a half of curtailed activities due to the pandemic we will need to kick start our work again.
In particular we will need to have a gathering of activists within the North West in order to work out how we focus our wok within the coming year.
In the meanwhile we will aim to hold a couple of small symbolic protests at both Capenhurst and Springfields.