Freightliner Group facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Freightliner Group Limited

Type	Private
Industry	Rail freight transport
Predecessor	British Rail
Founded	1995; 30 years ago (1995)
Headquarters	London , England
Area served	Europe Australia Middle East
Key people	Tim Shoveller (CEO G&W UK/Europe)
Services	Bulk freight, Intermodal freight transport and logistics
Revenue	US$785 million
Number of employees	2,500+
Parent	Genesee & Wyoming (95%) Management (5%)
Divisions	Intermodal, Heavy Haul, Maintenance
Subsidiaries	European Rail Shuttle

Freightliner Group is a company that moves goods by train and manages how they get from one place to another. Its main office is in the United Kingdom. Most of the company is now owned by an American company called Genesee & Wyoming.

Freightliner started in 1968 as a company owned by the British government. It focused on moving goods for international trade, especially to and from seaports. This meant building new depots (storage areas) near ports. In the late 1970s, it became part of British Rail. Later, in the 1980s, it joined British Rail's freight division. During this time, railway lines were changed to allow bigger containers to be carried on trains. Many older depots were closed in the 1990s as the company prepared to become a private business.

In 1996, Freightliner became a private company. Its managers bought it with help from other companies for about £5.39 million. Freightliner quickly updated its train fleet, ordering new and rebuilt locomotives (train engines). In 1999, it started its Heavy Haul business, which moves very heavy goods. By 2014, Freightliner was the biggest company in the UK for moving goods in large containers that can switch between different types of transport (like ship, train, and truck). It also grew its business to other countries like Australia, the Netherlands, and Poland. In 2015, the American company Genesee & Wyoming bought Freightliner.

History of Freightliner

Original Freightliner wagons, preserved at the National Railway Museum, York.

Early Days with British Rail

The idea of moving goods in standard-sized containers started in the UK in the 1930s. But it was Richard Beeching who really pushed for this idea for freight on railways in the 1960s.

Beeching suggested building 55 special depots across the UK. Trains would carry containers between these depots. British Railways (BR) developed this idea, planning for long wagons to carry standard international shipping containers. These containers could be loaded at special inland terminals using large cranes, moving them easily between trucks and trains.

The first test wagon was made in 1964. The first train carrying goods for money ran on 15 November 1965, between London and Glasgow. This service soon became known as Freightliner. In 1968, the first train carrying goods for just one company moved special containers with parts for Ford Escort cars.

Freightliner Becomes Its Own Company (1968)

A British Rail Class 47 train in its original Freightliner colours. This train was used to launch the company in 1995.

Beeching's first idea was for Freightliner to serve the UK's internal freight market. By 1968, British Railways had built 17 special depots. However, Freightliner found that its most profitable routes were those serving major ports in Britain. These routes handled goods coming from or going to Europe, Ireland, and other parts of the world. Because of this, in 1968, Freightliner became a separate company owned by the UK Government. It leased its rail transport from British Railways.

By the end of the 1960s, Freightliner ran 28 terminals and 56 routes. But the company kept focusing more on international trade through ports. Many of the original depots that didn't serve ports were closed. Meanwhile, more money was invested in depots at seaports like Southampton, Harwich, and the Port of Felixstowe. Freightliner also used its own network of trucks to expand how far each rail depot could reach. This made train routes longer and more efficient.

A terminal in Dudley opened in 1967 and was very profitable at first. But it closed in 1986 because it didn't have enough international traffic. As traffic to Ireland grew, a depot opened at the Port of Holyhead. Freightliner also started operations in Belfast and Dublin. The UK government gave Freightliner money to build new terminals at the Port of Liverpool, Felixstowe, and the Port of Tilbury.

Back with British Railways

In 1978, Freightliner came back under the control of British Railways. This was mainly because money was needed to make railway lines wider. This would allow them to carry taller shipping containers (8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet high).

Freightliner wanted to carry these taller containers on the East Coast Main Line. This meant lowering the track in some areas and in tunnels. Work was completed in some places, but a tunnel called Penmanshiel collapsed in March 1979 during the work. Two workers died, and the railway line was cut off. A new section of line was built to bypass the tunnel. Freightliner later stopped its services on that part of the line.

In the 1980s, Freightliner became part of BR's freight division. This was the first time Freightliner had its own locomotives. BR ordered new wagons that could carry the larger containers. They also tested special "Lowliner" wagons that had a very low deck height. This allowed them to carry 9-foot-high containers on routes that were only approved for 8-foot-6-inch containers.

Becoming a Private Company (1995)

Freightliner 57007 at Northampton station in July 2006.

As part of the Privatisation of British Rail (when British Rail became private companies), Freightliner closed its remaining depots that only served domestic routes. These included depots in London, Bristol, and Glasgow.

The Freightliner business was put into a new company called Freightliner (1995) Limited, ready to be sold. On 25 May 1996, Freightliner was bought by its managers with support from other companies for £5.39 million. As part of the deal, the UK Government gave the company a grant of £75 million to help with track access until the year 2000.

Freightliner needed more reliable trains. In 1997, the company asked Brush Traction to rebuild six of its British Rail Class 47 locomotives. These rebuilt trains, called British Rail Class 57, had new engines and improved parts. The first one was ready in July 1998 and showed off Freightliner's new green colours. Freightliner was happy with them and planned to get more. However, they decided to order new British Rail Class 66 locomotives instead, which they leased from another company.

In 1999, Freightliner started its Heavy Haul business, which moves very heavy goods like coal or aggregates. In 2004, Freightliner launched "Logico," a service that offers short-term space on its trains. By 2014, Freightliner was trying to run more trains from ports to meet demand.

In 2007, Freightliner started working in Poland, mainly moving aggregates (like gravel) and coal.

After Becoming Private

A British Rail Class 66 train and "Heavy Haul" wagons at the Freightliner maintenance facility in Leeds.

On 13 June 2008, Freightliner Group was bought by a company from Bahrain.

On 30 June 2009, Freightliner started working in Australia. Its first job was to move cotton in containers. Over the next six years, it expanded to move coal and other farm goods in different parts of Australia.

In February 2015, Freightliner was sold to the American company Genesee & Wyoming. Genesee & Wyoming bought 95% of the company, which increased to 100% in 2020. At that time, Freightliner had about 250 locomotives and 5,500 wagons, and more than 2,500 employees worldwide.

In 2015, a British Rail Class 47 train operated by Freightliner was named Beeching's Legacy. This marked 50 years since the first container train ran under British Rail.

In April 2018, Freightliner showed off its new company look, matching its parent company Genesee & Wyoming.

In 2019, it was announced that Genesee & Wyoming, Freightliner's parent company, would be bought by a group of companies for US$8.4 billion.

What Freightliner Does

United Kingdom Operations

Freightliner 66503 in its orange colours, ready to move a ballast cleaner train.

When Freightliner became a private company in 1996, it only moved goods in large containers. These services ran from ports like Felixstowe, Southampton, and Tilbury to terminals in cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Bristol. The company has added more destinations since then. Freightliner also has a large network of 300 trucks that distribute goods by road.

In 1999, Freightliner started its Heavy Haul business. This part of the company initially moved railway materials like ballast and rails for Network Rail. Later, it started moving other heavy goods like aggregates (gravel, sand), cement, coal, and scrap metal. Heavy Haul was hit hard during the economic downturn in 2008. However, by 2015, the company was buying more wagons and hiring more staff to handle new growth. They also focused on running longer trains because there wasn't enough space on the railway lines for more trains.

In 2006, Freightliner Maintenance Limited was created. This separate company focuses on repairing and maintaining trains and wagons. It took over a maintenance depot in Leeds and hired 13 staff. Within three years, it also started maintaining wagons. The company aims for a very high availability rate for its wagons. It also has engineering teams and mobile workshops in different cities across the UK. By 2011, Freightliner Maintenance was servicing all of the company's UK-based Class 66 locomotives.

In October 2021, the company switched most of its electric trains to diesel trains because electricity became more expensive. One month later, Freightliner announced good results from testing a new fuel for its diesel trains, which cut carbon emissions in half.

Poland Operations

A Newag Dragon train of Freightliner PL at a show in 2016.

In 2006, Freightliner started working in Poland. A new company, Freightliner PL, was set up to bid for contracts to move coal. The first contract was to transport coal from a mine to a power station in 2007. Most of Freightliner PL's services run between Gdańsk and Warsaw and in southern Poland. In 2015, Freightliner PL signed a contract to lease five new electric "Dragon" locomotives. These trains also have a small diesel engine for moving short distances. Freightliner also sent 13 of its Class 66 locomotives from the UK to Poland.

Australia Operations

Freightliner started looking into the Australian rail market in 2007. By 2008, Freightliner Australia was approved to operate trains in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. In 2009, Freightliner Australia started moving cotton in containers. In the same year, it signed a 10-year deal to haul coal from the Hunter Valley to Newcastle. For this deal, the customer owned the trains and wagons, and Freightliner Australia provided the staff and managed the operations.

In 2016, the coal hauling business was sold to another company that was also owned by Freightliner's parent company, Genesee & Wyoming. Freightliner's Australian business then merged into this company, and the Freightliner brand was no longer used in Australia.

Netherlands Operations

In 2013, Freightliner bought a company called European Rail Shuttle B.V. from Maersk Line. This company focuses on moving containers across borders in Europe. It runs services between major ports like Rotterdam and Hamburg to cities in Germany, Poland, Italy, and other parts of Europe. In 2018, this business was sold to a Swiss company called Hupac.

Freightliner's Trains

United Kingdom Fleet

Freightliner took over a fleet of older British Rail Class 47 diesel trains and British Rail Class 86 and British Rail Class 90 electric trains from British Rail.

In 1997, Freightliner ordered six British Rail Class 57 locomotives. These were rebuilt from Class 47s and given new engines to make them more reliable and powerful. The first one was delivered in 1998. Freightliner was impressed and ordered more, but then decided to buy new British Rail Class 66 trains instead.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Freightliner ordered many new British Rail Class 66 trains, getting a total of 111. To pull heavier trains, some of these Class 66s were changed to have less speed but more pulling power. These trains were very reliable. By 2004, the Class 66s had replaced all the older Class 47s and Class 57s. Freightliner also leased some Class 66s that other companies used to operate.

In 2007, Freightliner announced an order for 30 Class 70 trains. The first two were delivered in 2009. These new trains allowed Freightliner to send some of its Class 66s to other companies or to its operations in Poland.

Freightliner also uses its single Class 47 train (47830) to help drivers learn new routes.

Class	Image	Type	Built	Wheel arr.	In traffic	Numbers	Notes
08		Diesel Shunter	1953	0-6-0	10	08077, 08530, 08531, 08575, 08585, 08624, 08691, 08764, 08785, 08891
59		Diesel locomotive	1985-1995	Co-Co	4	59001/002, 59004/005	Acquired from Mendip Rail in 2019.
					4	59101-59104
					6	59201-59206	Acquired from DB Cargo UK in 2019.
66			1999-2008		7	66413-66416, 66418-66420	Acquired from Direct Rail Services in 2011. 66411, 66412 & 66417 exported for use in Freightliner PL
					81	66501-520, 66522-526, 66528-529, 66531-534, 66536-572, 66585, 66587-594, 66596-599	66521 was written off after a train crash. 66527, 66530, 66535, 66582, 66583, 66584, 66586 and 66595 have been sent to Poland for Freightliner PL. 66573-581 have been sold to Colas Rail and GB Railfreight.
					19	66601-607, 66610, 66613-623	66608, 66609, 66611, 66612, 66624 and 66625 have been sent to Poland for Freightliner PL.
					7	66951-66957
70			2009-2011		19	70001-70011, 70013-70020	70012 was damaged while being unloaded; it is now used for testing.
86		Electric locomotive	1965-1966	Bo-Bo	16	86604, 86605, 86607-86610, 86612-86614, 86622, 86627, 86628, 86632, 86637-86639	Stored after more Class 90 trains were introduced.
90			1987-1990		23	90003-90016, 90041-90049
Total					188

Poland Fleet

Class	Image	Type	Introduced	Wheel arr.	In traffic	Numbers
EMD Series 66		Diesel	2006-07	Co-Co	13	66008-011, 013-015 & 66601-606
Newag Dragon E6ACTd		Electric (Diesel for short distances)	2016		5	E6ACTd-101 - E6ACTd-105

Australia Fleet

Netherlands Fleet

See also

• Intermodal railfreight in Great Britain

Gallery

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  A British Rail Class 47 train in the colours it got from British Rail at Banbury in 2001.

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  57012 Freightliner Envoy at Ipswich in 2004.

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  66534 OOCL Express in the Freightliner colours introduced in 1998 at Virginia Water in 2004.

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  66605, with Freightliner 40 1965-2005 at Dundee in 2007.

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  66 610 on the East Coast Main Line near York in 2008.

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  70001 leaves Clay Cross Tunnel working a train from Lawley Street to Leeds Midland Road.

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  86613 and 86610 at Ipswich in 2004.

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  The Freightliner maintenance depot at Leeds Midland Road.