UK: Freightliner’s intermodal and bulk freight activities have parted ways, with the acquisition of the Freightliner brand and the intermodal operations by maritime and inland logistics group CMA CGM.
The non-intermodal activities have been branded as Heavy Haul Rail with the completion of the transaction on January 29. Along with Dutch operator Rotterdam Rail Feeding and Freightliner’s operations in Poland and Germany, these are being retained by Freightliner’s previous owners Canadian investment group Brookfield and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.
Freightliner to offer stronger, more integrated and sustainable intermodal logistics
Freightliner was formed in 1965 as British Rail’s intermodal business, and privatised through a management buy-out in 1996. It was acquired by Arcapita in 2008 and then by US rail operator Genesee & Wyoming in 2015. 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 said the acquisition by Marseille-based shipping and global logistics group CMA CGM confirms a shared commitment to building ‘a stronger, more integrated and sustainable intermodal offering for the UK and for customers worldwide’. Freightliner is to remain as a standalone, multi-user, multi-customer intermodal service provider with a network of 10 terminals and 2 000 wagons.
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.
‘Becoming part of a global group of this scale gives Freightliner the means to accelerate its development and strengthen its role at the heart of UK intermodal logistics’, said Freightliner Managing Director Chris Lawrenson. ‘By combining our deep UK rail expertise with CMA CGM’s maritime reach and global logistics capabilities, we are building a more resilient, integrated and future-ready supply chain for our customers. Our teams will continue to operate with the same autonomy, professionalism and reliability that Freightliner customers trust, now supported by the long-term vision and resources of a world-class logistics group.’
Heavy Haul Rail aims to build something new
The newly-launched Heavy Haul Rail is focused solely on the bulk freight market, moving 17 million tonnes/year for customers in the industrial, energy and construction markets including rail infrastructure works. Its team of 950 people operates 95 locomotives and over 1 000 wagons, running 250 trains per week to over 100 locations across the UK.
‘The sale of the Freightliner name and intermodal business has presented a unique opportunity to build something new by relaunching Heavy Haul as a new company’, said Dave Penney, CEO of Heavy Haul Rail Ltd. ‘We want to become the UK’s most progressive bulk rail freight partner, known for bold thinking, outstanding reliability and a commitment to building a cleaner future for freight. Our goal is to support industries, communities and the economy by moving more of the UK’s bulk freight from congested roads to clean, high-capacity rail.’
Commercial Director Ed Wilson said ‘we are going back to our roots by reimagining Heavy Haul Rail as an entrepreneurial start-up company focused on innovation and growth. The difference is that we have the advantage of being able to build on our existing foundation of over 25 years of high levels of customer service and reliability.’
He said ‘we have plans to grow. We’ll be sharing the benefits of rail freight with more customers as we move into new markets, just as we did recently when we ran the first hydrogen train in the UK. We’ll also be using our expertise to deliver a more integrated service for customers.’
