Hoo Junction: Building a Railfreight Hub

#Victaat30

1995 was a landmark year. With the success at Sittingbourne and growing demand for rail freight solutions, Neil Sime formalised the business—and Victa Railfreight Limited was born. 

The timing couldn’t have been better. As Transrail transitioned into English Welsh & Scottish Railways (EWS), backed by Wisconsin Central, Victa was positioned to support this change, offering flexible, ground-level logistics and operational expertise. 

From a consultancy idea to a fully-fledged business, Victa’s journey had officially begun. 

Hoo Junction: From Bluewater-bound steel to a strategic freight hub—this Kent marshalling point became the beating heart of Victa’s operations, connecting local deliveries to the national network from the mid 1990s for many years.

As the business grew, so did the need for a strategic location to handle increasing freight volumes. Enter Hoo Junction on the North Kent line between Gravesend and Higham - a marshalling point in Kent that became a cornerstone of Victa’s operations. 

Originally established to receive trainloads of reinforcing bar for the Bluewater shopping centre development, Hoo Junction quickly evolved. By 1997, it was integrated into the EWS Enterprise network, allowing wagonload flows to be handled more efficiently than at Sittingbourne. 

The Bluewater rebar required a stocking area which was created at Hoo Junction and is seen here with a lorry being loaded for delivery.

Hoo became a vital hub for local collections and deliveries, connecting Kent to the rest of the UK, a location that remained key for Victa's operations for almost 20 years. 

The Bluewater rebar required a stocking area, which was created at Hoo Junction and is seen here with a lorry being loaded for delivery.

As we continue to explore the story of how Victa supported the evolving landscape of privatised railfreight, our next post will delve into the story of Sheerness — how a timber and paper pulp transformed the dormant site.

Join us as we uncover how a bold trial sparked a revival, and what it means for the future of rail at this strategically important port.

Did you work at Hoo Junction or pass through it? Share your experience in the comments!