North Thameside Operations: Tilbury, Barking & Beyond

As part of our 30-year journey, our work across North Thameside has been a story of strategic partnerships and operational excellence. From Tilbury to Cricklewood, we’ve supported freight movements that kept supply chains flowing as we’ll talk about here.  

As the Enterprise network grew, Victa Railfreight’s presence north of the Thames became a key part of its evolution. These operations reflected not only the company’s adaptability but also its ability to seize opportunities in a rapidly changing freight landscape. 

Tilbury: From Pulp to Containers 

Victa’s partnership with the Port of Tilbury marked a significant milestone. Initially, the team supported pulp traffic—a vital commodity for the paper industry—before taking on the operation and management of the Tilbury Riverside terminal. This was more than just a new location; it represented Victa’s first steps into container handling, a sector that would become increasingly important as global trade patterns shifted.   

The relationship with the Port of Tilbury has developed significantly in the intervening 20 years.  At the current time we provide a full package of management and operational services in the growing Port, now including the Tilbury 2: Intermodal and Construction Materials terminals.  This encompasses both medium and short term planning of services and real-time management of day to day train movements as well as strategic advice and support for longer term developments. 

Nestle trial container at Tilbury

Aggregate train at Tilbury Docks

Tesco train arriving at Tilbury 2

Tilbury docks GBRf Wakefield service

Too many gronks at Tilbury

Glass train loading on Tilbury docks

More recently Victa has provided services to terminal operators at Barking, Dagenham and Purfleet. 

Victa Westlink train Purfleet to Mossend 2007

Staff "Moff" and "Noodles" at Purfleet

Dagenham CTRL

JG Russells at Barking - training

JG Russells at Barking

Piggyback trailer trial at Barking

Cricklewood & Channel Tunnel Imports Further inland, Victa played a crucial role at Cricklewood depot, managing import traffic arriving via the Channel Tunnel. These flows included high-profile consumer goods and industrial products such as Perrier water, Red Bull energy drinks, Bosch white goods, and timber. Each consignment demanded precision and reliability, reinforcing Victa’s reputation for operational excellence. 

A rare picture of Cricklewood depot in the late 1990's. Courtesy of Chris Barrow.

Beyond Rail: Complete Logistics Solutions Victa’s service didn’t end at the railhead. We arranged onward road haulage, ensuring that goods moved seamlessly from origin to customer. This integrated approach met emerging client expectations for end-to-end logistics solutions. 

Enjoy a selection of images from our library of our hard working team at these North Thameside locations: