GERMANY: The TX Logistik subsidiary of FS Group’s Mercitalia Logistics has finalised the acquisition of Exploris Deutschland Holding GmbH and its Via Cargo, HSL Logistik and Delta Rail subsidiaries. This makes the Italian state railway group company the second largest rail freight operator in Germany, behind incumbent DB Cargo.
An agreement was signed in July, and completion of the transaction was announced on December 6 following regulatory clearance.
The acquisition forms part of FS Group’s strategy to operate on a European scale, with international freight flows, an expanded network and ‘new synergies’ to support an increase in group revenue from €1·6bn in 2021 to €5bn in 2031.
The German freight business now has a combined turnover of €500m and employs more than 1 000 people.
The whole Logistics Business Division has more than 6 000 people and a presence in 11 countries, including through Exploris companies which are active in Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland.
The newly acquired Exploris operations have an east-west orientation, complementing TX Logistik’s existing presence along a north-south axis. Hamburg-based Exploris also provides shunting services in Germany and Poland and operates a driver training centre.
‘Our playing field does not stop at national borders but extends across Europe’, said Carlo Palasciano, Chief International Officer at FS Group. ‘Closing this deal takes us much closer to establishing the role that the Logistics Business Division is carving out for itself as a European logistics operator. We have embarked on a path of growth to increase the volume of goods transported by rail thanks to increasingly effective connections to the national network and the European rail corridors, consolidating the integration of sea, rail and road transport systems and providing a competitive alternative to road transport throughout Europe.’
Outside Italy, FS Group also operates passenger trains in France, Spain, Greece, Germany and the UK, and beyond Europe it provides engineering and certification services.
