Railion
Encyclopedia
DB Schenker Rail is a European (mainly German
) railway
cargo carrier
. The company was formed from the freight operating section of the Deutsche Bahn
DB Cargo with the addition of various European rail freight operating companies.
In December 2007 Railion became part of the DB Schenker
logistics group, itself a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn
and, in early 2009, it was renamed to DB Schenker Rail.
Cargo NV. Later, the Danish cargo company DSB
merged into the company. It further acquired the |Italian cargo carrier Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (SFM) in 2004 and further acquired the Swiss cargo carrier Brunner Rail Services GmbH. In addition it purchased a 20 percent stake in Swiss BLS
Cargo AG in 2007. In 2008 it increased its stake in BLS Cargo AG to 40 percent.
In 2008 the Railion brand was replaced with the rebranding of the whole DB logistics organisation into a common recognisable brand; named DB Schenker.
In 2011, DB Schenker Rail signed an agreement with Lietuvos Geležinkeliai to increase cross-border services with the Baltic states.
is based in Mainz
. 92% of the shares are held by DB AG (through its Logistics subsidiary DB Schenker), 6% by NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen
and 2% by Danske Statsbaner
.
It uses different names for in each country where it operates, namely:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
cargo carrier
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
. The company was formed from the freight operating section of the Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
DB Cargo with the addition of various European rail freight operating companies.
In December 2007 Railion became part of the DB Schenker
DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a logistics company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. The company, created by reorganisation and rebranding of various Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, comprises a logistics division encompassing air, land and sea freight, and a rail division made up from a variety of...
logistics group, itself a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
and, in early 2009, it was renamed to DB Schenker Rail.
History
The present company is the result of the merger of DB Cargo AG with NSNederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
Cargo NV. Later, the Danish cargo company DSB
Danske Statsbaner
DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner , is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope...
merged into the company. It further acquired the |Italian cargo carrier Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (SFM) in 2004 and further acquired the Swiss cargo carrier Brunner Rail Services GmbH. In addition it purchased a 20 percent stake in Swiss BLS
BLS AG
BLS AG is a Swiss railway company created by the 2006 merger of BLS Lötschbergbahn and Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG. It is 55.8 % owned by the Canton of Berne, and 21.7 % by the Swiss Confederation. It has two main business fields: passenger traffic and infrastructure.BLS has a subsidiary BLS...
Cargo AG in 2007. In 2008 it increased its stake in BLS Cargo AG to 40 percent.
In 2008 the Railion brand was replaced with the rebranding of the whole DB logistics organisation into a common recognisable brand; named DB Schenker.
In 2011, DB Schenker Rail signed an agreement with Lietuvos Geležinkeliai to increase cross-border services with the Baltic states.
Operations
The holding companyHolding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
is based in Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. 92% of the shares are held by DB AG (through its Logistics subsidiary DB Schenker), 6% by NV Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
and 2% by Danske Statsbaner
Danske Statsbaner
DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner , is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope...
.
It uses different names for in each country where it operates, namely:
- DB Schenker Rail Danmark in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
(formerly DSB Gods, then Railion Scandinavia) (DB Schenker Rail Danmark is owned by DB Schenker GmbH (51%) and Green Cargo (49%)) - DB Schenker Rail Deutschland in Germany (formerly DB Cargo, then Railion Deutschland)
- DB Schenker Rail Italia in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(formerly SFM, then Railion Italia) - DB Schenker Rail Nederland in the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(formerly NS Cargo, then Railion Nederland) (NS Cargo merged with Railion in 2000) - DB Schenker Rail Polska in PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(bought as PCC Rail) - DB Schenker Rail Schweiz in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(formerly Brunner Rail Services GmbH, then Railion Schweiz) - DB Schenker Rail UKDB Schenker Rail (UK)DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British...
in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(bought as English, Welsh & Scottish Railway). - DB Schenker Rail Romania, renamed from the Romanian subsidiary Logistic Services Danubius (LSD) in 2011.