THE locomotive which will carry 500,000 tonnes of biomass to Drax Power Station has been named Eco Express.

The class 66 locomotive was named by nine-year-old Sophie English, of Otley, who won a competition held by Drax at the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Eco Express was chosen to reflect the efficient movement of renewable and sustainable biomass material from South Shields to Drax Power Station.

Dorothy Thompson, chief executive of Drax, said the event marked the important partnership with GB Railfreight, a year since freight trials began.

She said a critical component of the power station’s ability to be the largest single source of renewable power in the UK, was its supply chain logistics.

Establishing and consolidating each step in the chain, both overseas and within the UK, are inherent to the progressive development of our biomass plans.”