DIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED
ActiveKey figures
† DIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED filed these accounts on paper, so Companies House publishes them only as a scanned image. The figures for the years marked † were read automatically from the scan and kept only where the statements add up (for example net assets equal total equity), but a reading error is still possible — check the original accounts at Companies House.
Ratios
2024/25Sector comparison
SIC 49200Where the company stands among the 442 active companies whose first SIC code is 49200 (Freight rail transport).
- GWI WESTERN EUROPE LIMITED£487.9m
- DB CARGO (UK) LIMITED£370.6m
- DB CARGO (UK) HOLDINGS LIMITED£204.8m
- GB RAILFREIGHT LIMITED£94m
- FREIGHTLINER LIMITED£88.1m
- DIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED£44.3m
- JOHN G. RUSSELL (TRANSPORT) LIMITED£40.5m
- P&O FERRYMASTERS LIMITED£32.1m
- DB CARGO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED£24.4m
- SPEDITION SERVICES LIMITED£24.3m
Positions are approximate. Figures come from each company's latest accounts; money and employee figures are compared only with companies that filed accounts in pounds for a period ending in the last two and a half years and are not dormant, so those groups are smaller than 442. The line on each bar marks the median.
Summary: DIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED
What kind of company is it?
DIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED is a private limited company registered with Companies House under company number 03020822. It was incorporated on 13 Feb 1995. Its status is active. The registered office is in Warrington (WA3). Its nature of business (SIC 2007) is freight rail transport (49200).
How is the company doing financially?
The latest accounts in the database are for 2024/25 (period ending 31 Mar 2025); the company files full accounts. Turnover was £96,786,000. Profit for the year was £964,000. Net assets were £44,325,000, up 12% on the previous year. Cash at bank and in hand was £11,493,000. Total assets were £138,550,000 and total liabilities £94,225,000. The company had an average of 446 employees. Figures are available for 2 financial years (2023/24–2024/25).
How does it compare with similar companies?
Compared with 442 active companies whose first SIC code is 49200: By net assets it ranks higher than 96% of them (median £4,505). By total assets it ranks higher than 97% of them (median £35,832). By cash it ranks higher than 96% of them (median £22,826). By number of employees it ranks higher than 97% of them (median 1). It is older than 95% of them (median age 3.5 years).
Does it supply the public sector?
The company is named as a supplier in 3 public contract award notices from 2 public sector buyers since 2015. Contracts awarded to it alone have a combined published value of £167.4k. Its most frequent buyer is RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED (2 contracts).
What do public registers and reports show?
HMRC lists it as an importer of goods, mainly electrical equipment, railway equipment, miscellaneous metal articles. HMRC lists it as an exporter of goods, mainly optical, medical and measuring instruments, electrical equipment, railway equipment. Its gender pay gap report for 2025/26 shows median hourly pay for women 37% lower than for men.
Who runs and controls the company?
One person with significant control is registered.
When are its next filings due?
The next accounts are due by 31 Dec 2026. The next confirmation statement is due by 27 Feb 2027.
Filed accounts2023/24–2024/25
| 2023/24 † | 2024/25 † | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | 103,731,000 | 96,786,000 |
| Profit for the year | -1,090,000 | 964,000 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 12,975,000 | 11,493,000 |
| Total assets | 147,476,000 | 138,550,000 |
| Total liabilities | 107,889,000 | 94,225,000 |
| Net assets / total equity | 39,586,000 | 44,325,000 |
| Average number of employees | 452 | 446 |
A dash (—) means no accounts were filed for that year or the item is not in the accounts; 0 is a zero stated in the accounts. Small companies usually file only a balance sheet, so the profit and loss account is often missing.
Public contracts
3 contractsDIRECT RAIL SERVICES LIMITED is named as a supplier in 3 public contract award notices from 2 public sector buyers since 2015. Their combined published value is £167.4k.
- RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED
- 2 contracts · £44.4k
- Ministry of Defence
- 1 contract · £123k
- SDA/NP/709826453: Entity In Charge of Maintenance 2 (second round)Ministry of Defence · £123,000 · runs until Mar 2030
- Sellafield Export Transport StudyRADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED · £33,606
- Review the route availability restrictions for storage sites of higher activity waste‡RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT LIMITED · £10,801
From contract award notices on Contracts Finder (since 2016) and Find a Tender (since 2021), published by the Cabinet Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Values are as published by the buyer and usually cover the whole contract term; the total leaves out awards shared between several suppliers, where the published figure is a ceiling for all of them, placeholder values and single figures of £1 billion or more. Notices marked ‡ do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name. Contracts below the publication thresholds and those of devolved buyers that publish elsewhere are not included.
Statutory reporting
- Median hourly pay
- women 37% lower
- Mean hourly pay
- women 24% lower
- Median bonus pay
- women 28% lower
- Employer size
- 250 to 499 employees
Earlier years (8)
- Year
- Median hourly pay
- Mean hourly pay
- 2024/25
- women 35% lower
- women 25% lower
- 2023/24
- women 40% lower
- women 25% lower
- 2022/23
- women 37% lower
- women 23% lower
- 2021/22
- women 39% lower
- women 26% lower
- 2020/21
- women 38% lower
- women 20% lower
- 2019/20
- women 40% lower
- women 21% lower
- 2018/19
- women 42% lower
- women 20% lower
- 2017/18
- women 40% lower
- women 21% lower
A positive gap means women's average hourly pay is lower than men's across the whole employer; it is not a comparison of pay for the same work. View on the Gender pay gap service
Figures the company reported itself to the government's Check payment practices service, Gender pay gap service and Modern slavery statement registry (Open Government Licence v3.0). Only large companies and employers with 250 or more staff have to report, so most companies have nothing here.
Registers and licences
Listed by HMRC as an importer of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: electrical equipment, railway equipment, miscellaneous metal articles, machinery and optical, medical and measuring instruments.
Listed by HMRC as an exporter of goods in 12 of the last 12 months on record, most recently August 2026. Main goods: optical, medical and measuring instruments, electrical equipment and railway equipment.
From HMRC's monthly lists of importers and exporters. Traders can ask to be left off the lists, so absence does not mean a company does not trade.
Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Care Quality Commission, Home Office and HM Revenue & Customs, under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Entries marked ‡ come from lists that do not state a company number and were linked by an exact match on the registered name.
History
4 events- Financial year 2024/25 endedAccounts: turnover £96.8m, net assets £44.3m, 446 employees
- Financial year 2023/24 endedAccounts: turnover £103.7m, net assets £39.6m, 452 employees
- Secretary Of State For Energy, Security And Net Zero registered as a person with significant control
- Company incorporatedPrivate limited company
Dates as recorded at Companies House: incorporation, name changes, officer appointments and resignations, current persons with significant control, and the end of each financial year with figures in the database. Former persons with significant control are not listed.