by Irish Chieftain
This will mean, among other things, that Germany controls the Royal Train.
The Independent (UK)
The Independent (UK)
Queen's train coupled to German firm
By Cliff Feltham
Published: 29 June 2007
Railway anoraks and monarchists are set for a display of mutual dismay as the Royal Train prepares to be coupled to the Berlin-based freight operator Deutsche Bahn.
The German group said yesterday it would pay £336 million (US $675 million) for the grandly titled English Welsh & Scottish Railway Holding (EWS), which operates the royal rolling stock.
The Doncaster-based firm was created in 1996 after the privatisation of British Rail's freight division, and carries around £500m (US $1.005 billion) of freight a year.
Among its tasks is to provide the two Royal Class 67 diesel locomotives - known as the Queen's Messenger and the Royal Sovereign - which pull the distinctive maroon eight luxury carriages to form the Royal Train. The drivers are also supplied by EWS, although the carriages are owned by Network Rail. The costs of maintaining and using the train are met by the Royal Household.
The Queen's saloon has a bedroom, bathroom and a sitting-room with an entrance that opens on to the platform. The Duke of Edinburgh's has a similar layout with a kitchen and also displays prints of great rail journeys of the past.
The first Royal Train journey took place in June 1842, when Queen Victoria was transported between Slough and Paddington in 25 minutes - probably little slower than today.
The acquisition of EWS strengthens Deutsche Bahn's pan-European freight traffic. EWS has been profitable since being spun off by British Rail, with ownership shared between Goldman Sachs, Boston-based Berkshire Partners, the rail operator Canadian National, and the New Zealand investment company Fay Richwhite.
Some £500m has been invested in the business, which has a fleet of 500 locomotives and 14,000 wagons.
EWS operates more than 8,000 services a week - or a journey every 90 seconds - specialising in transporting heavy goods such as coal and stone. The company is estimated to handle 70 per cent of all freight hauled in Britain.
More recently EWS, which employs around 5,000, has expanded into France, where its network can be consolidated into Deutsche Bahn, which has been gradually extending its freight operations across Europe to combat growing competition in its home market.
EWS's chief executive, Keith Heller, said: "We can build on the platform we have created in the UK and France for rail freight growth, offering our customers a comprehensive European rail freight network."
In a separate deal, Deutsche Bahn is taking a majority stake in the Spanish logistics operator Transfesa in a deal aimed at giving it greater exposure in southern European markets.
