Europorte is a European rail freight company, a subsidiary of
Getlink
Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel, is a European public company based in Paris that manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, operates the Eurotunnel Shuttle train service, and earns revenue o ...
; operating in France and through the
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. ...
.
The company was formed in 2009 as an entity encompassing the previous operations of
Europorte 2
Europorte Channel (formerly Europorte 2) is a rail freight train operator which operates rail freight services between France and the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel. It is a subsidiary of Europorte.
In 2009 Europorte's parent compan ...
and the France-based businesses of
Veolia Cargo
Veolia Cargo was a European rail freight transportation company that operated mainly in France and Germany. On 2 September 2009, the company was acquired by Eurotunnel and SNCF, the deal being finalised on 1 December 2009.
History
Prior to the cr ...
. Eurotunnel's original freight business, Europorte 2, was rebranded to become Europorte Channel and moved as a subsidiary under the Europorte division of the
Eurotunnel Group
Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel, is a European public company based in Paris that manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between England and France, operates the Eurotunnel Shuttle train service, and earns revenue o ...
.
Subsidiaries
After the acquisition of Veolia Cargo French subsidiaries in 2009, Europorte had five subsidiaries; one previously under Eurotunnel's control and four operations arriving via the purchase. All of these five units had already held permissions as open-access operators on the French railway network since 2004.Europorte company website, section "Europorte"Veolia Cargo Link was also acquired as part of the Veolia Cargo France purchase in 2009;Europorte company website, section "Europorte France and Europorte Link" Veolia Cargo Link operated as a joint venture between
CMA CGM
CMA CGM S.A. is a French container transportation and shipping company. It is the world’s 3rd largest container shipping company, using 257 shipping routes between 420 ports in 160 countries. Its headquarters are in Marseille, France The name ...
and Veolia Cargo from 2006 until the joint venture was terminated in early 2009 due to lack of profitability. As of 2012 the subsidiary ''Europorte Link'' is not listed as operational by Eurotunnel.
UK based rail freight company First GBRf was acquired in 2010 from
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.GB Railfreight
GB Railfreight (GBRf) is a rail freight company in the United Kingdom. As of 2022, it is owned by the global investment company Infracapital.
GB Railfreight was established in April 1999 as the rail freight operating subsidiary of the train o ...
. The subsidiary ''Europorte Services'' was established (2010) as the operating company of the rail network of the Port of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.British Rail Class 92
The British Rail Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive, which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain a ...
locomotives, and one
Alstom Prima
Prima is a family of railway diesel and electric locomotives built by Alstom. During the late 1990s, manufacture of the type had commenced; by 2008, Alstom had reportedly sold 1,750 Prima locomotives. In 2009, the second generation Prima II was lau ...
electric locomotive.Europorte company website, section "Europorte Channel" In December 2008 Europorte 2 was renamed
Europorte Channel
Europorte Channel (formerly Europorte 2) is a rail freight train operator which operates rail freight services between France and the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel. It is a subsidiary of Europorte.
In 2009 Europorte's parent compa ...
, following the acquisition of Veolia Cargo France.
Europorte France
Europorte France (formerly Veolia Cargo France) was acquired in 2009. Including those in use with "Europorte Link", the subsidiary has 28 locomotives and operated over 100 trains per week, with a 163 employees combined.
Europorte Proximité
Europorte Proximité constitutes part of the former CFTA Cargo operation, acquired through the purchase of Veolia Cargo France in 2009. The company operates freight trains on the former CFTA Franche-Comté network, a group of secondary lines in France, well known for being the last place in France where a commercial steam train ran (in 1975). The present network is in two parts, based on Châtillon sur Seine (Côte D'Or) and Gray (Haute Saône) the section of line connecting the two having been out of use for some years. The company operates the former CFTA workshops at Gray, well known for maintaining preserved steam locomotives as well as operational diesel locomotives. It also has a track maintenance arm.
Europorte company website, section "Europorte Proximité"
Socorail
Socorail was acquired as part of
Veolia Cargo France
Veolia Cargo was a European rail freight transportation company that operated mainly in France and Germany. On 2 September 2009, the company was acquired by Eurotunnel and SNCF, the deal being finalised on 1 December 2009.
History
Prior to the c ...
in 2009. Socorail provides services on industrial railway sidings, and operates 61 shunting locomotives.Europorte company website, section "Socorail"
GB Railfreight
GB Railfreight was acquired by Europorte from
FirstGroup
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.EQT Partners
EQT AB Group is a global investment organization founded in 1994. Its funds invest in private equity, infrastructure, real estate, growth equity, and venture capital in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.
, EQT's assets under management a ...
to become part of
Hector Rail
Hector Rail is a Swedish-based independent train haulage provider operating in the European rail transport market, operating 50 locomotives. The company provides locomotives and drivers to freight customers who need to have whole unit trains haule ...
.
Europorte Services
In January 2010 the Port of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.