SWISS open-access freight operator Crossrail AG announced on April 4 that it had received a licence from the Italian government permitting the company to run its own trains in Italy with effect from mid-2007. At present Crossrail is running seven trains each way per week between Novara and the Benelux region, in co-operation with Trenitalia subsidiary Sefer. It also runs four trains a week between Domodossola and Duisburg, and provides haulage in Switzer-land for Ford car trains to and from Italy.Crossrail Italia is planning to lease 14 multi-system electric locos from CBRail, a fellow subsidiary of Babcock & Brown, which are due by mid-2008. This will allow the company to expand its international operations to 20 trains each way per day.n

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