Seven major European rail freight operators have formed an alliance called Xrail for the operation of international wagonload traffic.
Members include the Czech Republic's CD Cargo, Luxembourg's CFL cargo, Germany's DB Schenker Rail, Sweden's Green Cargo, Rail Cargo Austria, Switzerland's SBB Cargo and Belgium's SNCB Logistics.
The team intends to boost the quality and competitiveness of European wagonload transport, which accounts for almost half of all rail freight in Europe.
Having already finished its pilot phase the alliance aims to achieve reliability rates of around 90%, better transparency using active information systems, and offering process with a standard response time of three days maximum.
Xrail will initially link the major economic areas of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland, using the existing infrastructure and the EU's Trans European Transport Network.
