12.04.2005: Rollout of first LTE locomotive in European Bulls design

The first locomotive of the Austrian rail freight transport company LTE (Graz) featuring the European Bulls design was delivered on April 5th. The BR 2016 diesel unit (EuroRunner 20) from Siemens has permits and safety packages for Germany, Austria and Slovakia. LTE now joins rail4chem (Essen) and Ferrovie Nord Cargo (Milan) in having rolling stock sporting the alliance colours.

At the rollout ceremony in Vienna, European Bulls Managing Director Rob Spierings highlighted the role of the alliance in the European rail freight transport sector: "The positive responses to the founding of the alliance three months ago even exceeded our high expectations. The alliance has already been handling several new freight services since January. Industry and shippers are very dependent on reliable rail freight transport services in Europe. This is where we stand for. The main cornerstones of our activities are procurement and rollout of standardised safety as well as quality systems and the marketing as far it concerns international traffic flows.”

The new locomotive will transport petroleum coke from Burghausen via Austria to the Slovalco aluminium works in Ziar nad Hronom twice a week without stopping at borders, clocking up approx. 70,000 km annually in over 4,000 operating hours. While LTE will manage the freight, rail4chem and LTE-Slovakia will bear the legal responsibility for the train system in Germany and Slovakia respectively. Gerhard Eibinger, General Manager of LTE, welcomes the newcomer to the vehicle fleet: "For us, the new locomotive is important in helping us provide this direct service at a high quality level. There will be no delays caused by changing engines at state borders, and the throughgoing haulage will enable us to make a significant reduction in the time it takes to cover the route." The new link fits well into the strategy of the customer DHL Rail: "We want to step up our presence in Eastern Europe," explains Michael Balzer, DHL Rail Manager Switzerland. "We're focusing on providing competitive and reliable services and a long-term commitment in the market." DHL has therefore contractually secured its cooperation with LTE and European Bulls for the next years.

European Bulls is meanwhile continuing to harmonize its standards and optimize its operations with the use of synergies. The partners are increasingly orienting themselves to the regulations of the SQAS (Safety and Quality Assessment) system for coordinating quality and safety standards. Managing Director Rob Spierings is optimistic: "We expect all alliance members to meet the requirements of the system within the next 6 months."

The European Bulls is an alliance of five European rail freight companies from Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany and Spain. The main aim of the alliance is to enable each member to provide safe, reliable, top-quality and customer-oriented rail freight services throughout Europe, ensuring that the rail sector continues to develop as a genuine alternative to road and in competition with the former monopoly suppliers.