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Hector Rail

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Hector Rail is a Swedish-based independent train haulage provider. It operates in the European rail transport market and possesses its own rolling stock, including a fleet of 100 locomotives. The company provides both locomotives and drivers to freight customers who need to have whole unit trains hauled between two places with a regular timetable.

A Hector Rail Class 941 hauled lumber train on the Solør Line in Norway

Hector Rail operated its first train on 12 December 2004 shortly after its establishment. Four years later, Hector Rail formed a long term partnership with the Dutch logistics company Samskip to operate direct rail freight services between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. In 2009, Hector Rail hauled its first passenger service. In September 2014, the company was acquired by the Swedish global investment organization EQT Infrastructure II, at which point the company fleet comprised roughly 50 locomotives and 10 shunters. During 2016, Hector Rail strategically aligned with the British freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRF) following its acquisition by EQT AB; it was sold four years later. In late 2019, Hector Rail, in partnership with several other companies, launched the Coevorden-Nässjö rail freight service between the Netherlands and Sweden. During May 2021, Hector Rail began operating train services for FlixTrain within Sweden. In early 2023, Hector Rail provided traction for a new international freight service between Sweden and Italy.

History

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In 2004, Hector Rail was founded.[1] At its establishment, the majority of the shares in the company were held by the Høegh family of Norway through Höegh Capital Partners.[2] On 12 December of that year, Hector Rail ran its first train; early operations were focused on the transportation of heavy goods between Sweden and Norway.[3] By 2007, the company operated roughly five million train-km per year in Sweden and Norway. During January 2008, Hector Rail began operating in Denmark, it also ran its first trains between Sweden and Germany that year.[2] Hector Rail formed a long term partnership with the Dutch logistics company Samskip to operate direct rail freight services between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe; the frequency of these services would rise over the following decade, reaching six round trips per week between Sweden and Germany alone.[4] During 2009, Hector Rail hauled its first passenger service, doing so on behalf of Veolia.[3]

In September 2014, the company was acquired by the Swedish global investment organization EQT Infrastructure II.[5] At the time of its acquisition, Hector Rail had roughly 190 employees operating across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany, a fleet comprising roughly 50 locomotives and 10 shunters, and had recorded revenues of approximately SEK630 million ($89.2 million) during the previous year.[6] The company was reorganised over the following twelve months; the subsidiary company Hector Rail GmbH was established in 2015 as part of its plans to expand operations into the wider European market.[3]

During 2016, Hector Rail took ownership of the British freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRF) following its acquisition by EQT AB.[7][8] During October 2019, EQT AB completed the sale of GB Railfreight to Infracapital, ending the British freight company's association with Hector Rail.[9] In June 2020, EQT agreed terms for the sale of Hector Rail to Ancala Partners LLP; at the time of the transaction, it was the largest privately-owned rail freight operator in Scandinavia, having a fleet of over 100 locomotives.[10][1]

Between 2016 and 2019, Hector Rail operated Blå Tåget between Gothenburg-Stockholm-(Uppsala) on behalf of Skandinaviska Jernbanor.[11] During August 2017, the Swedish mining company LKAB signed a new haulage contract with Hector Rail covering a five year period.[12] In late 2019, Hector Rail partnered with Samskip, Skane Rail, and Euroterminal Coevorden to the Coevorden-Nässjö rail freight connection between the Netherlands and Sweden.[13] During the late 2010s, various measures were explored and enacted by Hector Rail to improve operational efficiency and bolster its environmental credentials of its services.[14]

During May 2021, Hector Rail began operating train services for FlixTrain when they launched their services in Sweden.[15][16] During October 2022, Hector Rail cooperated with Samskip to launch a new intermodal freight service between the Baltic port of Rostock and the city of Duisburg.[17] In early 2023, Hector Rail provided traction for a new international freight service between Sweden and Italy.[18]

Locomotives

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Hector Rail Class 441, the EuroSprinter

The company operates diesel and electrically powered locomotives:[19]

The first digit indicates the number of different electrical voltages supported, but 8 for diesel-electric and 9 for diesel-hydraulic. The second digit is the number of axles, hinting the tractive effort.

Hector Rail previously owned 6 Class 161, ex NSB El 15 locomotives,[32] but they were taken out of service in 2019 after deliveries of new Class 243 "Vectron" locomotives and were sold in 2020 to the Norwegian company Grenland Rail.

In Media

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The railway was featured in a 2018 episode of Mighty Trains, showing newly acquired Vectron locomotives hauling lumber[33] from northern Sweden to the Ostrand pulp mill in Timrå, Sweden.[34]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ancala European Infrastructure fund to buy Hector Rail from EQT". IPE Real Assets. 12 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b Nyblom, Mats (October 2007). "Hector Rail's growth strategy". Railway Gazette International. Archived from the original on 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  3. ^ a b c "About Us". Hector Rail. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ^ Weedy, Simon (16 January 2017). "Electricity-generating brakes for cargo locomotives". railfreight.com.
  5. ^ Chopping, Dominic (4 September 2014). "EQT Buys Swedish Rail Freight Company Hector Rail". Wall Street Journal.
  6. ^ Chopping, Dominic (4 September 2014). "EQT Buys Swedish Rail Freight Company". Private Equity News.
  7. ^ "EQT completes acquisition of GB Railfreight". Railway Gazette International. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2023. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. ^ "Hector Rail's Owner Announces Intent to Acquire GB Railfreight". Hector Rail. 19 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Hector Rail sells GB Railfreight to Infracapital". Railway Gazette International. 23 September 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019.
  10. ^ "EQT to sell Hector Rail". S&P Global. 12 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Hector Rail to operate Blå Tåget". Railway Gazette International. 11 October 2016.
  12. ^ Leijen, Majorie van (11 August 2017). "LKAB signs haulage contract with Hector Rail". railfreight.com.
  13. ^ Zasiadko, Mykola (20 September 2019). "New rail freight service between Netherlands and Sweden". railfreight.com.
  14. ^ "Case study: Hector Rail – delivering environmental benefits through sustainable freight services". ancala.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Hector Rail blir samarbetspartnern när FlixTrain kommer till Sverige". Hector Rail. 6 May 2021.
  16. ^ Burroughs, David (14 April 2021). "FlixTrain to launch Swedish service on May 6". International Railway Journal.
  17. ^ Leijen, Majorie van (14 October 2022). "Samskip and Hector Rail set up new Duisburg-Rostock line". railfreight.com.
  18. ^ Raimondi, Marco (31 January 2023). "Collicare's new Italy-Sweden service will start this weekend". railfreight.com.
  19. ^ "Fleet". Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
  20. ^ "CLASS 141 – QUEEN OF TRACTION" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  21. ^ "CLASS 142 – DISCRETE AND RELIABLE" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  22. ^ "CLASS 143 – THE CLASSIC" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ "CLASS 241 – UNBOUND BY BORDERS" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  24. ^ "CLASS 242 – FAST AND FURIOUS" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  25. ^ "CLASS 243 – MULTIFUNCTIONAL HIGH TECH PERFECTION" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  26. ^ Harper, Rachael (15 March 2017). "Hector Rail orders more Vectron locomotives". globalrailwayreview.com.
  27. ^ "CLASS 441 – MODERN AND VERSATILE" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  28. ^ "CLASS 841 – BEEN THERE, DONE THAT" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  29. ^ "CLASS 921 – DOING THE JOB" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  30. ^ "CLASS 941 – PURE POWER" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  31. ^ "CLASS 942 – INBETWEENERS" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  32. ^ "CLASS 161 – THE TOUGH ONES" (in Swedish). Hector Rail. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Hector Rail". Mighty Trains. Season 2. Episode 3. November 2018. 60 minutes in. Discovery Canada. Retrieved December 9, 2018. on imdb.org
  34. ^ "Mighty Trains". Might Trains. Season 2. Episode 3. November 18, 2018. 60 minutes in. Discovery Canada.
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