A big change in the European rail freight scene: TX Logistik becomes the new owner of Exploris, a company owning the HSL group of companies active in the east-west corridors, hence complementing the north-south axis that TX Logistik focuses on. The owner of TX Logistik is Mercitalia Logistics, a Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) company.
While TX Logistik focuses predominantly on intermodal transportation, Exploris has a different operating format. It runs 240 weekly trains hauling steel, gypsum, agricultural products, automobiles, construction machinery or mineral oils between Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Switzerland. The dominant and most recognised brand here is HSL Logistik, also part of FS Group.
The number of TX Logistik employees will shoot from 500 to 1,200, and the fleet of locomotives will grow from 91 to 166. The activities of Exploris include shunting services and a train drivers’ academy, which is also a part of the new deal.
To finalise this acquisition, a green light from regulatory authorities is still needed.
