UK: Marseille-based shipping and global logistics group CMA CGM has agreed to acquire rail freight operator Freightliner UK Intermodal Logistics.
This will include the rail and road operations and inland terminals in the UK, as well as the Freightliner brand.
Freightliner’s Heavy Haul and Rotterdam Rail Feeding business and activities in Poland and Germany will remain with the current owners, Canadian investment group Brookfield and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC
The transaction announced on September 22 is expected to close in early 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
Sustainable and competitive transport offering
Freightliner said it would remain focused on its multi-user and multi-customer approach, and that it would be run independently while benefitting from CMA CGM’s support and global coverage.
CMA CGM is present in 177 countries with more than 400 offices, 1 000 warehouses, 160 000 staff and a fleet of more than 650 ships serving 420 ports. In 2021 it acquired Spanish rail freight operator Continental Rail from ACS Group.
CMA CGM said it was aiming to build a sustainable and competitive transport offering in Europe, and acquiring a long-standing name in UK rail freight would reaffirm its commitment to supporting modal shift from road to rail as a cornerstone of decarbonising supply chains.
It said there are strong synergies between the brands, and opportunities for significant enhanced-value offerings. These include developing comprehensive intermodal services combining maritime, rail and road, enhancing connectivity between Europe’s major ports and the UK hinterland through strategically located inland terminals, and driving shared innovation.
‘An exciting new chapter’
Freightliner was formed in 1965 as British Rail’s intermodal business.
At privatisation in 1996 it bought by a management and staff buy-out team backed by 3i and Electra Private Equity. Bahrain-based investment bank Arcapita subsequently acquired the group in 2008.
Freightliner was acquired by US rail operator Genesee & Wyoming in 2015, then in 2019 Genesee & Wyoming was acquired by a consortium of Brookfield and GIC and institutional partners.
Freightliner was separated from Genesee & Wyoming to become a standalone business in 2024.
Freightliner Group CEO Tim Shoveller said the divestment to CMA CGM would mark ‘an exciting new chapter for Intermodal and Heavy Haul, allowing each to focus on their distinct markets under separate ownership.’
He added that ‘Heavy Haul will continue its growth journey in the bulk materials sector under a new brand with a clear focus on strengthening its position as a key freight operator. Our customers will continue to receive the same high-quality leadership and operational teams, and we have robust plans in place to ensure a smooth transition of ownership.’
