FRANCE: Leasing company Railpool has signed a long-term full-service agreement to supply Regiorail with three Alstom Traxx Universal locomotives with last mile engines, with an option for a further four.
Regiorail is the fifth largest rail freight operator in France by market share, leasing 40 locomotives and operating 150 trains a week for various customers. It is part of Eurorail, in which Railroad Development Corp owns a majority stake.
‘As we are aiming to expand our services in Europe, the full-service rental of interoperable electric locomotives with last mile engines is just in line with our strategy’, said Eurorail and Regiorail CEO Brice Devinoy on November 26.
’The bi-mode capability is also worthwhile for domestic Regiorail traffic, offering energy efficiency and CO2 emission savings.’
He said ‘we chose Railpool because of their technical expertise, their ability to provide spare parts directly from their own comprehensive stock and their service quality commitments. This in combination with Railpool’s flexibility in the contract design and the company’s European setup convinced us to work with them.’
München-based Railpool established a French subsidiary last year to tap into demand for greater European interoperability as well as domestic rail freight within France.
‘With this success, Railpool has become a new player in France’, director Frédérique Erlichman said when the Regiorail contract was announced.
