| Type | Rail industry (freight) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail Freight |
| Predecessor | British Rail |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Area served | United Kingdom, Australia and Poland |
| Key people | Peter Maybury CEO |
| Services | Bulk freight and intermodal logistics |
| Operating income | £230 million + [1] |
| Employees | 1,800 +[2] |
| Website | www.freightliner.co.uk |
Freightliner Group Limited is a rail freight and logistics company, founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia. It is the second largest rail freight operator in the UK, after DB Schenker Rail (UK).
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The origins of the Freightliner concept go back to the mid-1960s with British Rail under Richard Beeching. As part of its modernisation and rationalisation programme, British Rail began moving freight using ISO containers on flat wagons between a series of dedicated inland terminals, using gantry cranes for transshipment between road and rail.
Although initially intended for domestic freight, this was soon overtaken by freight between deep-sea ports, such as Southampton Maritime and inland distribution terminals associated with centres of manufacturing or population, such as Birmingham Lawley Street.
There was also a terminal which opened at Dudley, 10 miles (16 km) from Birmingham, on the site of the old railway station in 1967. This proved to be one of the most profitable such terminals in the country, while the Birmingham terminal was ultimately one of the least financially viable. Yet by 1981, Freightliner UK was planning to close the Dudley terminal and transfer its staff to the Birmingham terminal in order to boost the latter's fortunes. However, the Dudley terminal was reprieved in 1983, only for closure plans to re-emerge in 1986. It finally closed in 1989 and the remaining staff were transferred to Birmingham.[3]
In 1995, Freightliner was privatised as a stand-alone company, being bought out by its own management.
In 1999, it set up its "Heavy Haul" business alongside its traditional "Intermodal" container operation. Heavy Haul initially operated railway infrastructure trains moving ballast, rails etc. and later moving into other bulk loads including cement, coal, aggregates and scrap metal.
In 2004, it launched "Logico", providing short-term or one-off spaces on intermodal trains.
Freightliner Group Ltd was acquired by Arcapita from its previous owners 3i, Electra Private Equity on 13 June 2008.[4] Management and staff also hold shares in the company.
Previously part of British Rail, Freightliner was privatised in 1996. The company initially only provided Intermodal services but now have four subsidiary companies, all operating under Freightliner Group Limited. Freightliner provides trunk rail services between key ports and inland rail freight interchanges within the UK, supplemented with local road services. In 1999 the company entered the bulk freight market by forming Freightliner Heavy Haul, which became a limited company in 2001. Freightliner Heavy Haul operates nationwide in the coal, aggregates, cement, specialist minerals, waste and petroleum sectors. Since then, Freightliner Group has established two new subsidiaries, Freightliner Maintenance Limited, a separate entity dedicated to the repair and maintenance of traction and rolling stock, and their European subsidiary, Freightliner PL Sp. z o.o., which began operations in 2007.
In 2006, Freightliner UK expanded its operations into Poland. A subsidiary company, Freightliner PL Sp. z o.o., was established to exploit high volumes of coal traffic and the liberalization of the Polish railway system from the government.
The first train hauled coal from Bogdanka mine to Kozienice Power Station on September 1, 2007. Freightliner PL operates seven exclusively-ordered EMD JT42CWRM's & 432 Greenbrier coal hopper wagons to transport the coal in Poland. FPL's locomotives and coal wagons have the ability to be interchanged to Germany. The JT42CWRM's are suitable for slow-speed-starts on long coal trains and can haul other commodities as the Polish Government has granted Freightliner PL to provide passenger and freight services besides coal. Four JT42CWR-T1 locomotives: 66586, 66582, 66583, 66584, & 66625(numbered 66008, 66009, 66010, 66011,& 66601 respectively) were sent from the Freightliner UK fleet to Poland. These units underwent various modifications to meet the requirements of Poland. FPL have also has 3 extra JT42CWR's (former ERS Railways) on hire from HSBC Leasing.
Most of Freightliner PL's services are located in the Gdansk - Warszawa corridor and southern Poland.
Freightliner PL and Freightliner UK operate as separate entities, but FPL is retained as a subsidiary to Freightliner UK.
In 2008 the new owners of Freightliner announced that they were interested in expanding internationally, particularly in Australia.[5] Freightliner Australia Pty Ltd has since been accredited as a rail operator in the state of New South Wales,[6] starting operations in Australia in July 2009 hauling bulk cotton.[7]
In September 2009 mining firm Xstrata Coal signed a deal with Freightliner Australia to haul export coal in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, commencing in late 2010 and allowing Xstrata to avoid the current incumbent rail operators.[8] The 10 C44aci heavy haul locomotives and rollingstock will be purchased outright by Xstrata from manufacturer UGL Rail.[9]
In its early days, the company struggled with an aging fleet of Class 47 diesel locomotives, supplemented by Class 86 and newer Class 90 electric locomotives. In order to increase reliability, in 1997–1998, six Class 47 locomotives were rebuilt by Brush Traction, Loughborough with General Motors engines and reconditioned alternators, emerging as Class 57 locomotives. A further six locomotives were rebuilt in 1999–2000.
A large fleet of Class 66 has subsequently been acquired from Electro-Motive Diesel.
In November 2007 Freightliner Group announced an order for 30 GE Transportation Systems JS37ACi locos under a project called Project Genesis.[10] The planned locomotives were given the new project name 'PowerHaul' in 2008 and have been designed with new technology engines and control systems to minimise the levels of carbon emissions produced. These locomotives will receive the TOPS classification Class 70. Several have already been delivered and are already in service as of May 2010.
In Australia Freightliner have hired 2 GL class locomotives from Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia to operate thier grain services which operate between Wee Wa and Prt Botany. These were repainted into the Freightliner green livery at CFCLA's Australian Horsepower Service centre at in Goulburn[11]. When these locomotves are under maintenance CFCLA provide another class member to deputise. The Xstrata coal contract is oeprated by 10 XRN class locomotives. Wagon types are PHEH and PHYH for the coal traffic and CQBY, CQFY and CQYY on the grain traffic.[12]
| Class | Type | Introduced | Wheel arr. | In traffic | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 08 | Shunter | 1953 | 0-6-0 | 10 | 08077/530/531/575/585/624/691 764/785/891 |
| Class 66 | Diesel | 1998 onwards | Co-Co | 94 (Class 66/5) | 66501-520/522-581/585/587-599 |
| 23 (Class 66/6) | 66601-623 | ||||
| 7 (Class 66/9) | 66951-957 | ||||
| Class 70 | Diesel | 2009 | Co-Co | 17/(30) | 70001-70017 |
| Class 86 | Electric | 1965 | Bo-Bo | 1 (Class 86/5) | 86501 |
| 16 (Class 86/6) | 86604/605/607/609/610/612-614 621/622/627/628/632/637-639 |
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| Class 90 | Electric | 1987 | Bo-Bo | 10 | 90016/041-049 |
| Class | Type | Introduced | Wheel arr. | In traffic | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMD Series 66 | Diesel | 2006-7 | Co-Co | 10 (Freightliner Owned) | 66001-010 & 66601 |
| 1 (On hire) | 92 80 1 266 106-4 D-RCHEM |
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