Freightliner
Freightliner Group Limited are 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).
History
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.
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. Management and staff also hold shares in the company.
Operations
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.
Rollingstock
In its early days, the company struggled with an ageing 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. 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.