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 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 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, 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.
History
During January 2005, it was announced that English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) had lodged an application for an operating licence to operate open-access freight services in France.[1] 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.[2] It 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.[2]
In November 2005, EWS' application 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.[2] At the time, the commencement of freight services had been anticipated to occur sometime in that same winter.[3][4] In actuality, ECR would not run any services until May 2006.[5] 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.[6]
On 28 June 2007, EWS was wholly acquired by the German state railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) in a deal that included ECR.[7] On 7 November 2007, the European Commission (EC) issued its conditional approval of DB's takeover of EWS and ECR.[8]
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.[9] By 2010, the company's market share was estimated to have increased to 8%.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] In December 2012, SNCF 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.[12]
During the summer of 2010, ECR became involved in the new French fright company OFP La Rochelle, which was structured as a joint venture between the company and the Port of La Rochelle.[13][14] 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.[15]
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 a newly opened cross-border link between Figueras and Perpignan. Specifically, ECR operated these freight trains while they were traversing the French rail network.[16]
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 a restructuring that led to the loss of 300 jobs, which was roughly one quarter of ECR's workforce.[17]
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.[18] During late 2021, ECR was rebranded as DB Cargo France, bringing its identity into line with that of its corporate parent.[19]
Rolling stock
ECR's initial operations were carried out using 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.[20][21]
Between 2007 and 2009, the company also acquired several Vossloh G1000 BB locomotives,[22] and briefly leased three TRAXX F140 AC locomotives from Mitsui Rail Capital (MRCE) during 2007;[23] these were returned to the leaser in August 2008.[24]
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.[26]
In January 2006, the first Class 66 was transferred from EWS to ECR; by November 2007, fifty locomotives had been transferred.[27][28] During late 2007, the first of an order for 60 new EMD Series 66 locomotives were delivered.[29][30][31] as the Class 77 from 77001 to 77060.[32] 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, the last five locomotives being transferred during 2019.[33]
In April 2009, a pair of Class 08 shunters were sent to France from England.[34]
Starting in 2010, the company began leasing Alstom Prima electric locomotives (sub types BB 27000, and BB 37000 dual and triple voltage) from Akiem.[35][36] The company also began hiring SNCF Y8000 type shunters from Akiem in the same year.[37]
By 2018, ECR reportedly operated 151 locomotives.[38]
DB Cargo UK, is a British rail freight company headquartered in Doncaster, England.
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The Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) Class 66 are Co-Co diesel locomotives built by EMD for the European heavy freight market. Designed for use in Great Britain as the British Rail Class 66, a development of the Class 59, they have been adapted and certified for use in other European countries. Outside Europe, 40 locomotives have been sold to Egyptian Railways for passenger operation.
Alstom Traxx is a modular product platform of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives. It was produced originally by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom, and was built in both freight and passenger variants. The first version was a dual-voltage AC locomotive built for German railways from the year 2000. Later types included DC versions, as well as quadruple-voltage machines, able to operate on most European electrification schemes: 1.5/3.0 kV DC and 15/25 kV AC. The family was expanded in 2006 to include diesel-powered versions. Elements common to all variants include steel bodyshells, two bogies with two powered axles each, three-phase asynchronous induction motors, cooling exhausts on the roof edges, and wheel disc brakes.
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The Prima Diesel-electric locomotives are a class of medium and heavy, four- and six-axle, passenger and freight mainline locomotives. They have been built both to 1,435 mm standard and 1,668 mm broad gauges, and find use in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Alstom is the primary designer in cooperation with both General Motors and Siemens.
Mitsui Rail Capital (MRC) is a railways rolling stock leasing company and part of Mitsui & Co based in Japan. Its main activities are the purchase and rental of railway freight cars and locomotives. In 2023, North American Mitsui Rail Capital was sold and rebranded as Modern Rail Capital.
The Eurorunner family of locomotives are a series of medium- to high-power diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the European market. Introduced from 2002 onwards, they share design characteristics with the successful Eurosprinter range of electric locomotives, also built by Siemens.
The Vossloh G1206 is a B'B' diesel hydraulic freight locomotive built in Kiel and used by several European railway operators including a SNCF specific variant the BB 461000 series.
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The Vectron is a locomotive series made by Siemens Mobility, introduced at the 2010 InnoTrans trade fair in four prototype versions: diesel, multi-system, and both AC and DC electric power. The diesel version has been replaced in 2018 by a dual mode locomotive which is powered by electricity on electrified sections of the track and can be switched to diesel mode on non-electrified sections. The Vectron series is reconfigurable and modular, with a Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement, and is intended as the successor to the EuroSprinter family of locomotives. A more affordable, basic version called Smartron was introduced in 2018.
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OFP La Rochelle 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.
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The Stadler Eurolight is the brand name for a family of 4-axle Bo'Bo' mainline diesel-electric locomotives with sub-20-tonne axleloads for passenger and freight trains produced by Stadler Rail.
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References
↑ "EWS seeking open access licence to work in France". The Railway Magazine. No.1245. January 2005. p.11.
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Euro 4000 in Alsasua, Spain (2009)
ECR Class 77 (2009)
Vossloh G1000 with ECR gypsum train at Beaurières station (2008)
TRAXX F140 MS locomotive in Zwankendamme near Zeebrugge, Belgium (2015)
