News from Iveco: Network Rail has taken delivery of 250 Iveco Daily 7.0 tonne vans during 2014 which will be used by its welding department teams to transport crews and materials to site when conducting repairs on railway infrastructure.
The Daily’s selection follows extensive consultation with Network Rail teams on the features they wanted in their next generation vehicle. This culminated with a two-day workshop being held in York and Derby which saw numerous vans considered. Following a detailed tender process, Iveco was awarded the contract and the 7.0 tonne Daily was chosen due to its superior load capacity.
A prototype then entered service in October 2013 and was trialled by 12 different welding locations prior to the new vehicle being built by the appointed vehicle converters.
Steve Duffy, Business Support Manager at Network Rail, says, “Our welding teams wanted a larger vehicle to increase efficiency – the Daily 70C17 vans have met the brief. They allow us to carry more equipment, more economically, plus the larger engine offers greater efficiency, as it isn’t being overworked.
“The increased capacity of the Daily allows each vehicle to become a full mobile workshop. Repairs often need to take place in remote locations, and the Daily helps us provide excellent service, no matter the location.”
The Ivecos are replacing a fleet of predominantly 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight vans, which used to require careful planning and management to ensure drivers never overloaded their vehicles.
The 3.0-litre EEV engine in the Daily delivers 170hp and 400Nm of torque. Each Daily is fitted with a tail-lift with a capacity of 750 kg, to allow it to carry the trolley system that enables engineers to operate trackside. They also benefit from reversing cameras and an on-board weighing system.
Network Rail are purchasing the vans outright and expects to run each Daily for six to seven years depending on the mileage undertaken by each vehicle.
