Captrain France, formerly VFLI, is a French freight rail company. It is a subsidiary of SNCF's Rail Logistics Europe. The company was formed in 1998 as a low-cost short line and industrial railway operator.
History
VFLI was established in 1998 by SNCF to operate as a low-cost operation. Initially, the company took over the operations of two industrial railway systems: Voies Ferrées des Landes (VFL) and Mines Dominiales de Potasse d'Alsace.
In 2000, the company began a joint venture with Compagnie des chemins de fer départementaux (CFD) named Voies Ferrées du Morvan to operate the 87 km Avallon-Autun railway line, and in 2001 took over operations on the Houllières du Bassin de Lorraine (HBL) via a subsidiary VFLI Cargo.
Up to 2007, the company was involved in the construction of LGV Est through the subsidiary Fertis.[1]
In 2007, VFLI was certified to run trains on the full extent of the French national railway network owned by Réseau Ferré de France. By 2008, the company was providing services for around forty industrial sites, with clients having included Rhodia, Arkema, Arcelor, Renault and Coke de Carling, Ciments français, Lafarge, Elf, Port Edouard Herriot (Lyon), ALZ, Smurfit SCF in Facture and PSA (in Trnava, Slovakia). Other contracts included transport of combustion waste from Protires waste processing plant in Strasbourg, work sub-contracted from SNCF, and transportation from ports.
In January 2021, VFLI was rebranded Captrain France.[2]
Current operations
As of 2012, VFLI's operations are in four main areas: main rail freight in France; rail freight operations at industrial sites; rail infrastructure train haulage; and short haul operations including port railways.
Main line freight rail accounted in 2011 for nearly two-thirds of VFLI's turnover, representing a turnover of 67.7 million Euros, compared to 5.4 million Euros in 2007.
Rolling stock and facilities
In 2010, VFLI owned approximately 100 diesel locomotives, mostly shunting and short trip locomotives,[3] as well as about 800 wagons.
The company also operates rolling stock workshops, carrying out maintenance and refurbishment.
External links
References
- Fertis 56 unveiled The Railway Magazine issue 1241 September 2004 page 59^
- VFLI becomes Captrain France International Railway Journal 18 January 2021^
- VFLI locomotives and shunters railfaneurope.net, retrieved 10 July 2011^
- <ref name="PlatFiveSNCF2008"> David Haydock. European Handbook No. 4 French Railways Locomotives & Multiple Units Platform 5, 2008^
- VFLI home page VFLI, 2012, retrieved 4 August 2012^
- VFLI | Présentation | Chiffres clés VFLI, 2012, retrieved 4 August 2012^
- Sonia Goujon. Les nouveaux entrants sur le marché du fret ferroviare français observatoire-transports-bretagne.fr, Observatoire Régional des Transports de Bretagne, May 2009, retrieved 17 July 2011^
- Voies Ferrees Locales et Industrielles (VFLI) (France) : Railway systems and operators articles.janes.com, Janes, 26 October 2010, retrieved 9 July 2011^
- VFLI - Voies Ferrées Locales et Industrielles Lokmagazin, November 2006, retrieved 17 October 2013^
- 2007 Annual Report: SNCF Participations stockproinfo.com, SNCF, retrieved 14 July 2011^
- Railway Operators in France railfaneurope.net, retrieved 14 July 2011^