Lineas

Lineas the largest private rail freight operator in Europe[1] with headquarters in Belgium and sites in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The Belgian government holds 10% of the shares through the National Railway Company of Belgium. Private equity group Argos Wityu and the management of Lineas together hold the remaining 90%.

Lineas
Founded2011
HeadquartersBrussels,
Belgium
Key people
Geert Pauwels (CEO)
OwnerNational Railway Company of Belgium] (10%), Argos Wityu and management Lineas (90%)
Websitelineas.net 

Lineas is responsible for the transport of goods by rail. The company has proclaimed its ambition to realise a ‘modal shift’[2] in Europe, moving freight off the road and onto rail.

In 2014, Lineas launched the Green Xpress Network (GXN) with 23 rail connections between European stations. GXN combines different types of freight into a single train.

History

In 2005, the European Union gave the green light for the liberalisation of rail transport. Following this decision, the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) was restructured into the NMBS/SNCB-Group, consisting of three companies: NMBS/SNCB, Infrabel and NMBS/SNCB-Holding. Until 2011, rail freight transport activities were a division of NBMS/SNCB, which operated under the name B-Cargo. Under NMBS/SNCB, B-Cargo was a loss-making division. In 2011, B-Cargo became a subsidiary called NMBS/SNCB Logistics. Privatisation took place in 2015, under the name B Logistics and with investments from the independent private equity group Argos Wityu.[3] Prior to privatisation, the company was not profitable. Afterwards, profitability increased. In 2017, B Logistics changed its name to Lineas.[4]

Products and services

Lineas offers products and services for freight transportation throughout Europe. The organisation offers logistics services, including first and last mile delivery by rail, truck or inland waterway and GXN long distance. Other services of the company are: maintenance, fleet management, fleet advice, wagon and locomotive rental, picking, technology and training. The different types of transport are: block train, single wagonload (distributed transport), intermodal units, pallets, exceptional transport and the Green Xpress Network. The Green Xpress Network (GXN) offers 23 rail connections between European economic hubs. GXN combines different types of freight of large and small volumes into a single train.

Fleet
Bombardier Traxx 29 locomotive in the Port of Antwerp

As at 2017, Lineas had more than 7,000 wagons and 250 locomotives.[5]

Steel wagons
  • Shimm(n)s for cold coils
  • Shmmns for hot coils
  • Remms for slabs
Bulk wagons
  • Tads for limestone
  • Fal(n)s for coal
  • Eaos & Fas for scrap
Intermodal / container wagons
  • Lgnss 40’
  • Sgnss 60’
  • Sggnss 72’
  • Sggrss 80’

Locomotives

Organisation

Lineas employs more than 2,100 people.

Lineas locomotive

The company has proclaimed its ambition to realise a ‘modal shift’[2] in Europe, moving freight off the road and onto rail, to improve the supply chain of companies and address societal issues caused by traditional trucking such as mobility issues, climate impact due to high carbon emissions, health hazards due to air pollution, and unnecessary road casualties.

In June 2020, Lineas won the Voka Sustainable Business Charter.[6] As a result of the charter, the company was the first Belgian transport company to receive the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Certificate for Sustainable Business in October 2020.[7] Lineas was also appointed Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Pioneer for Sustainable development by the United Nations.[7]

In 2019, Lineas doubled the capacity on the trains in and out of Antwerp to alleviate the impact of the works on the Oosterweel Link on Belgian mobility. The rail freight operator today removes 5,300 containers per week from Antwerp's road traffic (compared to 2,600 before).[8]

In 2020, Geert Pauwels won the European Railway Award. He received the award because of the transformation of a loss-making division of the Belgian railways into a profitable private rail freight operator.[9]

On 9 April 2020, Lineas unveiled a white locomotive, the 'Heroes Loc', in the Port of Antwerp as a tribute to heroes in the fight against the coronavirus, as well as to address problems in the railway sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Activities in Europe

Lineas has offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The company is also active in Austria, the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. In Belgium, there are daily rail connections between Antwerp, Genk, Ghent, La Louvière, Liège and Zeebrugge. At the European level, Lineas is the largest private rail freight operator.[1] Lineas develops its international and Green Xpress Network with mixed conventional and intermodal connections, as well as block trains for companies.

Lineas locomotives

Rail Freight Forward

Lineas is a member of Rail Freight Forward,[11] the coalition of European rail freight companies aiming to reduce the negative impact of freight transport on mobility, climate and the environment by shifting freight from road to rail. The coalition aims to increase the modal share of rail freight in Europe from 18% in 2020 to 30% by 2030.

Lineas is also a member of the Belgian Rail Freight Forum.[12] In France, the company is part of the 4F, the Fret Ferroviaire Français du Futur.[13] In Germany, it is a member of the NEE, the Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen.[14]

European Rail Freight Association

In February 2020, Lineas became a member of the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA). The coalition aims to play a role in creating a common, fully liberalised and competitive European rail freight market.[15]

References
  1. Byl, Roeland (18 February 2020). "Geert Pauwels (Lineas) krijgt de European Railway Award". Trends Knack. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  2. van Gompel, Marieke (26 February 2020). "Topman Geert Pauwels krijgt prijs voor omvorming Lineas". Nieuwsblad Transport. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. SNCB Logistics part-privatised International Railway Journal May 2015 page 15
  4. B Logistics becomes Lineas Today's Railways Europe issue 258 June 2017 page 12
  5. "B Logistics renamed Lineas as it aims for modal shift". Railway Gazette International. 27 April 2017.
  6. Vlaams netwerk voor Ondernemingen en Kamers van koophandel in Alle sectoren, Voka (24 June 2020). "Digitale uitreiking VCDO-awards bij Voka Vlaams-Brabant". Voka. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  7. Vlaams netwerk voor Ondernemingen en Kamers van koophandel in Alle sectoren, Voka (27 October 2020). "Vlaams-Brabantse bedrijven ontvangen VN-duurzaamheidscertificaat 'SDG Pioneer'". Voka. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  8. Antwerpse Televisie, ATV (10 September 2020). "Goederentreinen moeten duizenden vrachtwagens uit de Oosterweelfiles halen". ATV. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  9. Vakblad voor de spoorsector, SpoorPro (19 February 2020). "Award winnende Lineas-topman: Green Deal kans voor modal shift". SpoorPro Vakblad voor de spoorsector.
  10. Van Roosbroeck, Greg (9 April 2020). "Witte locomotief om corona-helden te eren". Gazet van Antwerpen. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  11. Rail Freight Forward (n.d.). "Rail Freight Forward European Rail Freight Vision 2030". Rail Freight Forward. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  12. Belgian Rail Freight Forum (n.d.). "Actieplan voor méér spoor. Voor klimaat. Mobiliteit. Milieu". Belgian Rail Freight Forum. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  13. Vinas, Jean-Marie (n.d.). "4F: Une coalition inédite pour préparer le fret ferroviaire français du futur". Association Française du Rail (AFRA). Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  14. Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen e.V. (n.d.). "Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen e.V." Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen e.V.
  15. Cordero Sapién, Josephine (28 February 2020). "Lineas Joins European Rail Freight Association". Railway-News. Retrieved 14 December 2020.

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