63-555: DB Cargo France is a French rail freight operator. It is presently a subsidiary of the German state-owned logistics company DB Cargo . DB Cargo France was originally established as Euro Cargo Rail (ECR) in early 2005 by the British freight company English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS). The company had sought to expand its footprint in the continental European rail freight market; while one of its subsidiaries, EWS International , operated
126-479: A multitude of smaller acquisitions such as the transport and logistics divisions of RAG AG . In Sweden, where Deutsche Bahn was unable to acquire its chosen target, the company instead focused on establishing collaborative ventures. At the end of the 2000s, Railion was therefore able to not only offer connections across large stretches of Europe running from north to south, but reliably serve rail route that run from west to east as well. Despite this expansion into
189-472: A newly opened cross-border link between Figueras and Perpignan . Specifically, ECR operated these freight trains while they were traversing the French rail network. During May 2017, following ECR's recorded loss of €25.5 million, DB Cargo invested €150 million into the business with the aim of recapitalising and stabilising the company's operations within the space of one year; other measures were taken, including
252-622: A partner of the European Xrail Alliance [ de ] , represented by its subsidiary DB Schenker Rail (now DB Cargo). Ever since it was established, the alliance has focused on the objective of making single wagonload transport, namely freight trains with wagons used by different clients, a more competitive alternative to lorry transport. Xrail also aims to achieve more customer-friendly service, efficiency and punctuality in cross-border transport, for example with its universal booking system, Xrail Capacity Booking (XCB). Within
315-550: A restructuring that led to the loss of 300 jobs, which was roughly one quarter of ECR's workforce. In June 2020, the company became a member of a new coalition of organisations across France’s rail freight sector, French Rail Freight of the Future , which sought to double the volume of rail freight in the nation by 2030. During late 2021, ECR was rebranded as DB Cargo France , bringing its identity into line with that of its corporate parent. ECR's initial operations were carried out using
378-418: A significant decline. One of the primary factors behind this decline was the economic slump that had followed the global economic and financial crisis . The company initially responded to this negative development by introducing a more flexible price structure. It aimed to use a combination of block trains for large clients and bookings of single wagons to establish a fixed timetable that would in turn increase
441-509: A small leased fleet of four Vossloh G1206 diesel locomotives; the maintenance of these locomotives was carried out at EWS's Dollands Moor Freight Yard in England, thus the locomotives were given a TOPS classification number, Class 21 . Between 2007 and 2009, the company also acquired several Vossloh G1000 BB locomotives, and briefly leased three TRAXX F140 AC locomotives from Mitsui Rail Capital (MRCE) during 2007; these were returned to
504-639: Is Richard Lutz (manager) [ de ] , who has been the CEO of Deutsche Bahn since 2017. The vice-chairman is Martin Burkert, a member of the board of the German Railway and Transport Union [ de ] (EVG). Claus Weselsky, chairman of the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL), is another member of the supervisory board, which therefore contains representatives from the two leading trade unions for
567-525: Is a rail freight company; a joint venture between Euro Cargo Rail and the port of La Rochelle . The company's first operations began in October 2010. In December 2009 the NaviRail Atlantique was formed as an Opérateur Ferroviaire de Proximité - a type of short line railway company - and port railway operator for the port of La Rochelle; the company was to be a joint venture between SNCF (49%) and
630-554: Is an international transport and logistics company . It is responsible for all of the rail freight transport activities of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn (the DB Group) both inside Germany and on a global level. DB Cargo has a registered office in Mainz and a further administrative office in Frankfurt am Main . The company was founded as DB Cargo AG on 1 January 1999 under
693-442: Is entitled to carry out all activities deemed to serve the specified business purpose either directly or indirectly. This includes the establishment and management of companies and the acquisition of other companies. DB Cargo AG has a share capital of 256,007,000,000 euros, which is divided into 51,201,400 no-par value bearer shares . When it transferred the assets and liabilities of its former freight transport division as part of
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#1732869681712756-476: Is the market leader in both Germany and Europe, although its transport services have been in decline for several years. Seeking to reverse this decline, a more flexible price structure was adopted alongside various cost-cutting measures in 2016. During the early 2020s, major global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine have challenged the company and driven changes. Within
819-403: Is the gradual optimisation of train drivers' productivity. The current changes being implemented at DB Cargo form part of the strategy to strengthen Deutsche Bahn in its entirety that was launched in 2019. During the global outbreak of the novel respiratory disease COVID-19 , which hindered cross-border logistics due to limitations in the area of passenger and goods transport , the company
882-516: The European Commission (EC) conducted an investigation into the allegedly unfair provision of state aid to DB Cargo from the German government. Limited amounts of state aid, such as to offset the abnormal economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , have been approved by the EC in the past. Single wagonload transport have played a special role in the economic development of DB Cargo and
945-839: The Federal Republic of Germany . The Board of Management of DB Cargo AG is composed of at least two people, one of whom is responsible for staff-related and social matters in connection with employees. Otherwise, the Supervisory Board determines the number and identities of the members of the Board of Management The current Members of the DB Cargo AG Board of Management are Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta ( Chairwoman ), Ursula Biernert (Human Resources), Thorsten Dieter (Service), Ralf Günter Kloß (Production), Martina Niemann (Finance/Controlling) and Pierre Timmermans (Sales). The percentage of women on
1008-464: The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BWVI). Although the wagons used by DB Cargo have generally become older in recent years, they have also increased in size so that they can transport larger quantities of goods. As of 2020, the majority of freight is still being transported by road, DB Cargo stands to gain from the increased interest in its services due to
1071-440: The noise pollution generated by the movement of its freight trains. Another area of investment by the company has been the addition of state-of-the-art sensors and telematics, which has reportedly been responsible for improvements in its competitiveness. Seeking to progress developments in this area, between 2016 and 2019, DB Cargo played a leading role in the "Innovative Freight Wagons " research project conducted on behalf of
1134-689: The timber and building materials trades. DB Cargo is also active on an international level. Its global operations particularly focus on transport between Europe and Asia, where the company has an extensive network. Its service portfolio also includes related services such as the sale and rental of locomotives and wagons. In the 2018 business year, DB Cargo transported more than 255 million tonnes of goods in 2,686 traction units and 82,895 goods wagons . Leased or hired materials are factored into these totals. The company provided its services on around 4,200 sidings belonging to clients in Germany, Denmark, Italy,
1197-616: The Deutsche Bahn Group, DB Cargo is mainly responsible for the following subsidiary and sister companies , all of which are directly involved in the domain of rail freight transport: These are joined by further companies that have special responsibilities in areas such as sales, transporting dangerous goods and combining traffic flows: The service catalogue of DB Cargo consists of a wide variety of basic, additional and special services. The company's core products particularly include block train and single wagonload transport services,
1260-539: The German state railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB). By the following year, ECR had become the second largest rail freight company in France, after the traditional market leading state-owned operator SNCF . During October 2010, ECR formed a joint venture with the Port of La Rochelle , named OFP La Rochelle ; seven years later, ECR sold its stake in the venture. While early rolling stock was typically leased, or transferred from EWS,
1323-530: The German transport and logistics market. As the competitive environment with other European providers became increasingly challenging in the late 1990s, Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Dutch state-owned rail company Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) announced plans to merge their rail freight transport activities in 1998. Together, DB Cargo and NS Cargo reached revenues of around 6.9 billion Deutsche Mark (3.5 billion euros) and had roughly 50,000 employees. Their amalgamation
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#17328696817121386-547: The Netherlands and Switzerland. It transported goods along a route network covering a total of 33,000 kilometres in Germany and, according to calculations by the German Federal Office for Goods Transport [ de ] (BAG), achieved an average punctuality rate of 72.9% when providing these services. During 2019, DB Cargo was reportedly operating at a loss. Critics have accused Deutsche Bahn of having neglected
1449-508: The board exceeds the average value of other German companies. The supervisory board of DB Cargo AG has 20 members. It is composed of shareholder and employee representatives in equal measure, who are elected according to the regulations of the German Stock Corporation Act [ de ] and German Codetermination Act [ de ] . The supervisory board currently has six female and 14 male members. Its chairman
1512-430: The capacity utilisation of its trains. Other measures considered included the closure of numerous freight railway stations in order to reduce fixed costs, and efforts to reduce staff headcount at all levels of the business. News of these cost reduction measures was quickly met with sharp criticism by various trade unions ; their opposition included demands that the approach be abandoned immediately, and accusations of
1575-401: The combination of rail and road, and carbon-neutral transport, for example for Audi . The latter is becoming increasingly important given that rail transport currently has the lowest carbon emissions of all carriers and also achieved the largest savings in recent years (1995–2015). The company additionally offers a wide range of industry solutions, for example for the chemicals industry and
1638-621: The company and the Port of La Rochelle . ECR held a 24.9% minority stake, while the port authorities held a 75.1% majority stake. In May 2017, it was announced that ECR had sold its stake in the venture, which continued to operate using new partners. Starting in 2010, ECR participated in the Sustainable Iron and Steel Transport by European Railways project, which provided a door-to-door logistics service via two multi-client services ran per week between Turin , Italy and Sagunto , Spain, along with another two trains between Monza and Irun , via
1701-403: The company was once more rebranded as DB Cargo AG ; this naming scheme has been progressively replicated across the majority of its international subsidiaries as well. The services provided by DB Cargo include both block train and single wagonload transport services, the latter of which have been abandoned by many of the company's rivals. Based on the number of kilometres travelled, DB Cargo
1764-559: The company was quickly able to place its own sizable orders for new-build locomotives, such as the TRAXX F140 MS and the EMD Series 66 , although many of these deliveries would be received by DB Cargo rather than ECR itself. During May 2017, DB invested $ 150 million to recapitalise and restructure the company, resulting in the loss of one quarter of its staff. In late 2021, the company was rebranded as DB Cargo France. During January 2005, it
1827-428: The company's market share was estimated to have increased to 8%. That same year, a major dispute between DB and SNCF over access to France's railways had escalated to the level of government ministers in both countries intervening. Two years prior, ECR had been denied the train paths needed to operate aggregates trains on behalf of Lafarge on account of SNCF having booked all of the available paths. In December 2012, SNCF
1890-405: The company's mismanagement. Following several months of negotiations, the Deutsche Bahn Group and its works council finally agreed on a restructuring programme for DB Cargo during February 2007. Under this programme, the previously proposed across-the-board job cuts that year were avoided, instead, the new approach aimed for the gradual reduction of headcount over a period of several years. On
1953-405: The context of the battle against climate change , however, the role of DB Cargo is also thought to be increasingly important, as the company offers transport options that are entirely carbon neutral . However, the company has been criticised for a lack of investment into both its rolling stock and infrastructure, and thus constraining its performance. In late 2019, Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta took on
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2016-537: The entity's rail freight transport division structured under public law into a private enterprise company. Accordingly, on 1 January 1999, the company DB Cargo AG was ultimately founded to undertake these operations. The headquarters of DB Cargo AG were established in Mainz. At first, DB Cargo solely focused on its domestic activities. Accordingly, the Deutsche Bahn Group produced investment plans that directed billions in its subsidiary in order to improve its position in
2079-544: The expectation that rail freight transport will play an essential role in achieving climate targets. Within this context and based on expert opinions, in September 2019, the German Federal Government announced plans to transfer millions of lorry trips from road to rail, although similar attempts made in previous years had reportedly achieved little progress. One of the main measures planned towards achieving this aim
2142-514: The first Class 66 was transferred from EWS to ECR; by November 2007, fifty locomotives had been transferred. During late 2007, the first of an order for 60 new EMD Series 66 locomotives were delivered. as the Class 77 from 77001 to 77060. However, only half of the order was ultimately delivered to ECR, while the balance was instead delivered to the parent company DB Cargo in Germany. Furthermore, all of ECR's Class 66s were gradually transferred to Germany,
2205-447: The general objective pursued by Deutsche Bahn was to better cover the entire transport chain with all transportation means and routes. Over the years that followed, however, this approach mainly resulted in a shift of its freight transport activities away from the rails and towards the road network instead. The company realised that it needed to improve the links between its rail and road transport in particular, and securing acquisitions
2268-452: The integrated rail system of the DB Group. According to media reports, DB Cargo reduced its fleet size by nearly one half in the 2000s and 2010s. The remaining locomotives were increasingly replaced by multi-system models that can also be used in the international rail network. Furthermore, the company also equipped its inventory of wagons with whisper brakes, which had reportedly halved
2331-596: The last five locomotives being transferred during 2019. In April 2009, a pair of Class 08 shunters were sent to France from England. Starting in 2010, the company began leasing Alstom Prima electric locomotives (sub types BB 27000 , and BB 37000 dual and triple voltage) from Akiem . The company also began hiring SNCF Y8000 type shunters from Akiem in the same year. By 2018, ECR reportedly operated 151 locomotives. [REDACTED] Media related to Euro Cargo Rail at Wikimedia Commons DB Cargo DB Cargo (previously known as Railion and DB Schenker Rail )
2394-778: The leaser in August 2008. In 2008-2009, ECR also opted to lease around ten Vossloh G2000 locomotives and five Vossloh Euro 4000 locomotives (1668mm gauge) from Angel Trains Cargo . During 2008, a pair of TRAXX F140 MS locomotives operating in ECR livery were used for homologation of the type in France and Belgium; type certification was obtained in July 2009. The two locomotives formed part of an order of 20 units delivery between 2009 and 2010. In 2009, an additional 45 units were ordered, which were divided between DB Schenker (25 units) and ECR (20 units); these were delivered from 2010 onwards. In January 2006,
2457-656: The necessary maintenance work on, and the modernisation of, DB Cargo's infrastructure ; claims have also been made that the comparably high average age of its locomotives and wagons is a prime example of this problem. In September 2019, the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) responded to criticism by the German Federal Court of Auditors regarding the company's lack of investments by arguing that DB Cargo and other segments had yet to exhaust their full potential. During mid 2022,
2520-559: The needs of a large scale military conflict in Eastern Europe. DB Cargo AG, a public limited company under German law, acts as a holding company for the operational entities. Its corporate purpose covers rail and road services for the transportation of all kinds of goods and the procurement and operation of stationary and mobile means of transport such as locomotives , railcars , wagons and other containers . Its articles of association also cover related services. The holding company
2583-584: The organisation was open to the incorporation of further partners. While the European Commission and European Parliament aimed to promote competition among providers, the providers themselves instead opted to foster cooperation. During 2001, the Danish state-owned rail company Danske Statsbaner (DSB) opted to merge its rail freight transport activities into the joint venture, becoming its third partner and received shares totalling 2% in Railion in return, thus decreasing
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2646-436: The other Railion companies solely focused on freight forwarding while Stinnes and Schenker took on central tasks in the fields of rail freight transport and sales. By consolidating all of its transport and logistics activities, Deutsche Bahn also aimed to achieve growth in the freight transport domain. The company adjusted its image to reflect this aim and as a result, DB Cargo was renamed Railion Deutschland . At this point,
2709-435: The port (51%), however due to SNCF's doubts about the profitability of the enterprise formation the company was not finalised. Due to this the port authority sought an agreement with Euro Cargo Rail . In 2010 OFP La Rochelle was formed as a joint stock company; with Grand Port Maritime de La Rochelle contributing 75.1% of the share capital and Euro Cargo Rail 24.9%. It is responsible for short-haul freight operations around
2772-450: The port of La Rochelle. The first train, in October 2010, carried petroleum products to the Creuse. At start up the company had a fleet of two Vossloh G1000 and four Class 77 locomotives. Potential traffic included cereal, forest and paper products, and petroleum; the company hoped to increase the modal share of traffic from the port from 7 to 10% by 2011. After one year of operation
2835-439: The rai freight sectors of several neighbouring nations, the presence of effective competition to provide freight services had reportedly made a negative impact on the company's economic development by May 2005. Recognising the company's unfavourable financial position, Deutsche Bahn opted to respond by enacting numerous cost-saving measures; these were credited with a significant improvement in Railion's circumstances. During 2010,
2898-607: The rail freight transport crisis was initially deemed to have been largely resolved. During early 2003, Deutsche Bahn transferred its share in Railion to the Stinnes AG [ de ] (which later became DB Mobility Logistics ). After the successful acquisition of the then-listed logistics company Stinnes , including its freight forwarding subsidiary Schenker AG , a restructuring of responsibilities took place within Deutsche Bahn. Subsequently, DB Cargo, NS Cargo and most of
2961-478: The rail industry in Germany. The business operations of DB Cargo are divided into three regions: Germany, Central Europe and Western & Eastern Europe . The German company DB Cargo AG is responsible for both operational services in the field of rail freight transport in Germany and central functions such as production, sales, finance and human resources for the entire DB Cargo Group. During 2010, Deutsche Bahn joined several other railway companies in becoming
3024-401: The role of CEO of DB Cargo. At the end of the 1990s, the operational business of Deutsche Bahn was reorganised into five legally independent joint-stock companies . This measure formed part of the second stage of the German rail reform. Within the scope of this restructuring, a precursor company was initially established in 1997, which had the purpose of facilitating a transformation of
3087-532: The second stage of liberalisation reform of the German railway system (Bahnreform) underway around this time. Initial operations were primarily focused on the rail freight market within Germany; however, during early 2000, the company was reorganised under the Railion holding company as part of a merger between DB Cargo and the Dutch state-owned rail company Nederlanse Spoorwegen 's rail freight operations. This new structure
3150-410: The spin-off for the establishment of a new company, Deutsche Bahn AG acquired all of the company's shares and is therefore the sole shareholder of DB Cargo AG. A control and profit-and-loss-transfer agreement is in place between the parent company and subsidiary . DB Cargo AG is included in the consolidated financial statement of Deutsche Bahn. The company Deutsche Bahn AG is in turn wholly owned by
3213-468: The stake of Deutsche Bahn in the venture to 92%. The cooperation between DB, NS and DSB has reportedly played an essential role in Deutsche Bahn's long-term strategy for expansion in other European countries. This strategy covered not only state-owned rail companies but also the acquisition of private sector rivals, for example in Italy (2004), Switzerland (2007) and Poland (2009). These were joined by
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#17328696817123276-590: The trains, ECR was responsible for marketing and trading duties. EWS's application to operate open-access freight services in France was approved in November 2005, permitting the commencement of services in May 2006. Initially, operations were focused upon France's northern region and its borderlands; however, ECR had grand ambitions to expand across Europe, filing applications to operate in both Belgium and Germany during 2006. During June 2007, EWS and ECR were both acquired by
3339-527: The whole, the company retained its ambition to grow its freight transport activities. To reflect the company's focus on its core business activities in the domain of rail freight transport, it was again renamed, adopting the DB Cargo AG designation in early 2016. The name was also readopted for its most important German and international subsidiaries and continues to apply in the present day. Accordingly, DB Cargo and DB Schenker are equal sister companies within
3402-565: The wider rail freight sector alike. In the late 2010s, experts were issuing demands that the company subsidise its activities, or shrink its business, in this area in order to remain a strong competitive alternative to lorry transport. Following the Great Belt Bridge rail accident , in which eight people died, a union representative from DB Cargo was convicted of evidence tampering . [REDACTED] Media related to DB Cargo at Wikimedia Commons OFP La Rochelle OFP La Rochelle
3465-541: Was able to secure its transport operations successfully. DB Cargo provided additional capacities for transporting supplies for the population, especially food and hygiene products. The running of large special freight services, such as the "Pasta Express" from Italy, attracted considerable media attention. Shortly after the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , DB Cargo started hauling aid from across Europe to Ukraine ; however, military officials have issued warnings that DB Cargo lacks sufficient capacity to meet
3528-445: Was announced that English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) had lodged an application for an operating licence to operate open-access freight services in France. At the time, EWS International , a subsidiary of EWS focused on continental European operations, was intended to actually operate the trains, while a newly created entity, Euro Cargo Rail (ECR), was established to perform the marketing and trading of these rail services. It
3591-630: Was approved and a safety certificate was granted by the French Minister for Transport; this outcome meant that ECR had become only the third freight operator in the country at that time. At the time, the commencement of freight services had been anticipated to occur sometime in that same winter. In actuality, ECR would not run any services until May 2006. In July 2006, it was announced that ECR had, as part of its ambitions to expand across western Europe, filed applications to operate freight services in neighbouring Belgium and Germany . On 28 June 2007, EWS
3654-509: Was designed for the cooperation, and incorporation, of future partnerships with other rail freight companies; between 2004 and 2009, Railion expanded its operations into Italy , Switzerland , and Poland , typically via acquisitions. Following the acquisition of Schenker AG in the early 2000s, the company was restructured again and adopted the DB Schenker Rail branding. During 2016, to indicate its core focus on rail freight transportation,
3717-402: Was envisaged that initial operations would be focused upon northern France, specifically on those routes that ran close to or across the national borders of France. Furthermore, the company promoted itself as working to increase the amount of rail freight within France by pursuing operations that would be economically viable in comparison to road transportation. In November 2005, EWS' application
3780-415: Was fined €60.9m for exercising anti-competitive measures that sought to block open-access operators from using certain resources, such as renting wagons or using train paths, thus forcing them to use less optimal alternatives or to not run certain services at all. During the summer of 2010, ECR became involved in the new French freight company OFP La Rochelle , which was structured as a joint venture between
3843-447: Was one way to do so. In 2009, Deutsche Bahn abandoned the Railion brand and instead chose to consolidate all of its rail freight transport activities under the name DB Schenker Rail. At the time, its organisational structure remained unchanged. Media reports, however, already began to speculate about a stock market launch of the newly formed DB Schenker division. During the 2010s, the business operations of DB Schenker Rail experienced
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#17328696817123906-408: Was the first ever cross-border rail merger, in which Deutsche Bahn retained its majority share of 94%. A financial holding company , Railion GmbH , was created for this new company, and commenced operations during early 2000. The successful creation and launch of Railion laid the foundation for the establishment of a leading European transport and logistics company. Specifically, from the onset,
3969-402: Was wholly acquired by the German state railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) in a deal that included ECR. On 7 November 2007, the European Commission (EC) issued its conditional approval of DB's takeover of EWS and ECR. By 2008, ECR had become the second largest rail freight company in France, after the traditional market leading state-owned operator SNCF , holding a 5.3% market share. By 2010,
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