DB Cargo

**DB Cargo UK**, formerly **DB Schenker Rail UK** and **English, Welsh & Scottish Railway** (EWS), is a British rail

freight company headquartered in Doncaster, England.

The company was founded in 1995 as North & South Railways, acquiring five of the six freight companies sold during the privatisation of British Rail,[note 1] becoming the UK market leader in rail freight transportation. In November 2007, EWS was sold to Deutsche Bahn, and in January 2009 rebranded as DB Schenker. In March 2016 it was rebranded as DB Cargo UK.

## Operations

DB Schenker liveried 59206 at the National Railway Museum, York in January 2009

On 28 June 2007, Deutsche Bahn announced it had agreed to purchase EWS, subject to receiving regulatory approval.[67][68] for £309 million[69] At the time EWS had a market share of around 70% in the United Kingdom and around 5,000 employees.[70] After the transaction was approved by the European Commissioner for Competition,[71][72] the sale was completed on 13 November 2007.[73]

At the time of the sale, it was announced that EWS would not be rebranded,[74] but on 1 January 2009, EWS was rebranded as DB Schenker along with Deutsche Bahn's Railion and DB Schenker divisions.[75][76]

The first locomotive painted in DB Schenker livery was Class 59 59206 at Toton Depot in January 2009,[77] being formally unveiled at the National Railway Museum, York on 21 January 2009.[78][79] [note 6]

Class 90 90018 *The Pride of Bellshill* in DB Schenker colours on a freight working in October 2016

In 2009, DB Schenker Rail began work to enable Class 92 hauled trains to operate freight services on the High Speed 1 by installing in cab TVM signalling. The project received funding from the European Commission and it was originally anticipated services would begin in early 2010.[81] On 25 March 2011, for the first time a modified class 92 locomotive travelled from Dollands Moor to Singlewell using the TVM430 signalling system.[82] The first of five planned test trains ran as a loaded container train from Hams Hall, West Midlands to Novara, Italy on 27 May 2011.[83][84][85] DB planned to upgrade an additional five Class 92 locomotives to allow them to run on High Speed 1, making a fleet of six.[86][87][88]

In July 2011, a trial run of wagons carrying curtain walled swap bodies built to a larger European loading gauge was run from Dollands Moor, Folkestone to east London.[89] From 11 November 2011 a weekly service using European sized swap bodies has run between Barking, London and Wroclaw, Poland using High Speed 1.[90][91]

On 2 March 2016, DB Schenker was rebranded as **DB Cargo UK**.[92] On 17 October 2016, new DB Cargo UK CEO Hans-Georg Werner announced plans to cut 893 jobs in a bid to counter 'unprecedented' market changes. This was due to a combination of:[93]

* Changes in Government energy policy had resulted in the early closure of coal-fired power stations, hence DB Cargo UK ran 78% fewer coal trains compared to 2015.
* UK steel volumes dropping, with the industry hit by high energy prices. This resulted in DB Cargo UK running 33% fewer steel trains from 2015. However, Werner recognised that "overall UK steel demand remains stable."

In 2017, DB Cargo UK announced a loss after tax for the financial year of £57 million against a turnover of £325 million.