With growth of 9% compared with the previous year, the first quarter of 2011 has been successful for DB Schenker Rail, the rail freight business unit of Deutsche Bahn.
DB Schenker Rail operates in a total of 17 European countries with its own companies, cooperations and joint ventures.
DB Schenker Rail is Europe’s largest rail freight provider, with 32,600 employees and a fleet of 3,400 locomotives and 109,000 cars. Every day, the company runs some 5,100 freight trains between Spain and Russia, Scandinavia and the Bosporus.
DB Schenker Rail Deutschland employs a staff of 18,700, and has a market share in rail freight of over 75% in Germany.
Some 60% of DB Schenker Rail’s shipments are international, crossing at least one national border. The market share in European rail freight transport grew to 26% in 2010. The outlook calls for a target of 30% market coverage, with annual investments of approximately €400m.
“Our opportunities are in Europe – and we will take full advantage of them. We want to be our customers’ first choice in Europe for rail freight transportation.
“In 2011, we will further develop our transportation routes between Germany and France, to and from Poland, to the United Kingdom and between France and Spain. To do so, we will consistently update our production system on a German and European level and increase its flexibility,” says Dr. Alexander Hedderich, CEO of DB Schenker Rail.
“In this process single wagon load is the backbone of rail freight traffic in Europe. This segment we will strengthen further to meet the demand of our international customers even better.”
Strategic goals for 2011 include realigning production in DB Schenker Rail Deutschland AG and further developing the higher-level European functions.
