DB Schenker Rail

DB Schenker Rail (formerly known as Railion) is a European (mainly German) railway cargo carrier. The company was formed from the freight operating section of the Deutsche Bahn DB Cargo with the addition of various European rail freight operating companies.

In December 2007 Railion became part of the DB Schenker logistics group, itself a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn and, in early 2009, it was renamed to DB Schenker Rail.

History

The present company is the result of the merger of DB Cargo AG with NS Cargo NV. Later, the Danish cargo company DSB Gods (literally DSB Cargo) merged into the company. It further acquired the Italian cargo carrier Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (SFM) in 2004 and further acquired the Swiss cargo carrier Brunner Rail Services GmbH. In addition it purchased a 20 percent stake in Swiss BLS Cargo AG in 2007. In 2008 it increased its stake in BLS Cargo AG to 40 percent.

In 2008 the Railion brand was replaced with the rebranding of the whole DB logistics organisation into a common recognisable brand; named DB Schenker.