07/09/2018 – SNCF Logistics, the division specialised in freight logistics and transport of the SNCF and COMSA Corporación, a Spanish group of the infrastructures and engineering sector, have signed an agreement today to transfer all the share capital of COMSA Rail Transport, the first private railway company in Spain, to the company from the SNCF Group.
This transaction is subject to the prior approval of the Spanish competent authority.
The transfer of shares will not entail any modification in the strategy or the business model. The current leadership will continue leading the activity of the company, which will change its name to Captrain España.
This acquisition by part of SNCF Logistics is proof of their confidence in the potential development of the railway freight transport in the Iberian market as well as between the later and the rest of Europe, especially France. In five years, COMSA Rail Transport has increased its billing by 70%, reaching a turnover of 32 million Euros and nearly 200 employees. The activity has also increased in the number of trains in circulation: from 8,400 in 2013 to 19,200 in 2017. The executive team has thus demonstrated their ability to guarantee an efficient management and have supported the needs of the industry and its clients.
Likewise, Captrain España will continue conducting cross-border railway traffic with Portugal and company TAKARGO as a partner. In this sense, SNCF Logistics agrees to support the company’s growth in the Iberian market as well as the development of the international traffic thanks to the new Mediterranean and Atlantic corridors.
Regarding this transaction, Jorge Miarnau, president of COMSA Corporación, stated “we are proud of having created and contributed to the growth of the first private railway company in Spain. We are sure that the new shareholder taking over will allow continue its development”.
For Alain Picard, managing director of SNCF Logistics, “this acquisition agreement is part of our strategy to position ourselves in the main European railway freight transport sector. With Captrain España we hope to fully integrate COMSA Rail Transport into our European Captrain network and strengthen our international offer throughout the continent”.
Locomotive of COMSA Rail Transport (© Javier López Ortega)