Captrain France

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.

Captrain France
FormerlyVFLI
Founded1998
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
ParentRail Logistics Europe
Websitewww.vfli.fr
www.groupe-vfli.com

History

VFLI was established in 1998 by SNCF to operate as a low cost operation,[1] initially the company took over the operations of two industrial railway systems: Voies Ferrées des Landes (VFL) and Mines Dominiales de Potasse d'Alsace.[2][3]

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,[1] and in 2001 took over operations on the Houllières du Bassin de Lorraine (HBL) via a subsidiary 'VFLI Cargo.[1]

Up to 2007 the company was involved in the construction of LGV Est through the subsidiary Fertis.[3][note 1][5]

In 2007, VFLI was certified to run trains on the full extent of the French national railway network owned by Réseau Ferré de France.[6] By 2008 the company was providing services for around forty industrial sites, with clients having included Rhodia, Arkema, Arcelor,[note 2] Renault and Coke de Carling,[3] Ciments français, Lafarge, Elf, Port Edouard Herriot (Lyon), ALZ, Smurfit SCF in Facture and PSA (in Trnava, Slovakia),[7] other contracts included transport of combustion waste from Protires waste processing plant in Strasbourg, work sub-contracted from SNCF and transportation from ports.[3]

In January 2021, VFLI was rebranded Captrain France.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Rolling stock and facilities

In 2010 VFLI owned ~100 diesel locomotives, mostly shunting and short trip locomotives.[1][11] as well as ~800 wagons.[1]

The company also operates rolling stock workshops, carrying out maintenance and refurbishment.[1]

Notes
  1. Fertis hired Class 56 and Class 58 locomotives from EWS, England to work the construction trains.[4]
  2. Contract ended late 2007.[6]

References
  1. "Voies Ferrees Locales et Industrielles (VFLI) (France) : Railway systems and operators". articles.janes.com. Janes. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  2. Haydock, David (2008). European Handbook No. 4 French Railways Locomotives & Multiple Units (Fourth ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5. ISBN 978-1-902336-65-7.
  3. Sonia Goujon (May 2009). "4. VFLI" (PDF). Les nouveaux entrants sur le marché du fret ferroviare français [The new companies entering the French rail freight market]. pp. 24–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. "VFLI - Voies Ferrées Locales et Industrielles" (PDF). Lokmagazin (in Hungarian). 57 (11): 28–30. November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  5. Fertis 56 unveiled The Railway Magazine issue 1241 September 2004 page 59
  6. "2007 Annual Report: SNCF Participations" (PDF). stockproinfo.com. SNCF. pp. 31, 38.
  7. "VFLI - Voies Ferrées Locales et Industrielles". Railway Operators in France. Retrieved 14 July 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. VFLI becomes Captrain France International Railway Journal 18 January 2021
  9. "VFLI home page". VFLI. 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  10. "VFLI | Présentation | Chiffres clés" [Presentation - key figures] (in French). VFLI. 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  11. "VFLI locomotives and shunters". railfaneurope.net. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
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