ERFA’s Board of Directors welcomes the addition of Lineas to the ERFA membership. Being the first freight company to have recently won the 2020 European Railway Award, Lineas is a solid example of the dynamic which private players are bringing to the transport sector. ERFA believes that Lineas, in cooperation with other ERFA members, will have a key role to play in the creation of a truly liberalized and competitive European Rail Freight market.
Lineas is Europe’s largest private rail freight operator active throughout Europe with its Green Xpress Network. The objectives of Lineas and ERFA are well aligned, namely the creation of a single and competitive European rail freight market. The ERFA Board of Directors believes that Lineas membership enhances ERFA’s position as a strong voice for private and independent rail freight companies at EU level.
Lineas CEO, Geert Pauwels: “We strongly believe that private rail freight players will make the difference in Europe. As private companies we have a unique customer mind-set to deliver innovative products that convince our customers to shift from road to rail. We look forward to working with ERFA to strengthen the sector and attract private investors who will help us grow and realize the modal shift.”
ERFA President, Dirk Stahl: “I am glad that ERFA can attract such an important railway company as Lineas and that we can join forces to create a European Rail Freight sector with strong and competitive railway undertakings. This is essential in order to see real growth in rail freight and subsequently allow the sector to contribute successfully towards Europe’s environmental and modal shift objectives”.
About ERFA
ERFA is the European association representing the interests of private operators and new-market entrants in the rail freight market.
ERFA was founded in 2002 to work towards the liberalization of the European rail freight market. ERFA is based in Brussels and has 30 members active throughout the European Union and beyond.
ERFA works towards ensuring the completion of a single European railway market, secure, fair and non-discriminatory market access for all rail freight companies and support for the growth of rail freight as an attractive means of freight transportation.
About Lineas
Lineas is the largest private rail freight operator in Europe with headquarters in Belgium and sites in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
The company’s mission is to offer such superior rail products and services that customers shift the transport of their goods from road to rail, thereby improving their supply chain while decreasing their negative impact on climate and mobility.
Lineas’ flagship product is the Green Xpress Network which provides daily, fast and reliable rail connections between major European hubs, combining different types of cargo into one train. The Green Xpress Network was launched in 2014 and now has 20 connections.
Lineas employs over 2.100 people and owns a fleet of 250 locomotives and 7.000 wagons. The company’s shareholders are independent private equity group Argos Wityu (90%) and NMBS/SNCB (10%).
