SBB Cargo

SBB CFF FFS Cargo

Type	State-owned company
Industry	Rail Transport
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Olten, Switzerland
Key people	Nicolas Perrin, CEO
Revenue	CHF 953 million (2013)
Net income	CHF 14,7 million (2013)
Number of employees	3,061 (2013)
Website	SBB Cargo

SBB Cargo is a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) specialising in railfreight and is operated as the Freight division. Swiss Federal Railways is a formerstate-owned and -controlled company that was transformed in 1999 into a under special legislation following the first Swiss railway reform and divided up into three independent divisions: Passenger, Freight and Infrastructure. The headquarters of Swiss Federal Railways SBB Cargo AG, the Freight division's official designation, are in Olten. Swiss Federal Railways is a formerstate-owned and -controlled company that was transformed in 1999 into a joint-stock company under special legislationreight division. Swiss Federal Railways is a formerstate-owned and -controlled company that was transformed in 1999 into a joint-stock company under special legislation In 2013, SBB Cargo had 3,061 employees and achieved consolidated sales of CHF 953 million. In Switzerland, SBB Cargo is the market leader in rail freight, transporting over 175,000 tons of goods every day. This corresponds to the weight of 425 fully loaded jumbo jets.

The company is headed by Nicolas Perrin. SBB Cargo is mandated by its owner, the Swiss Confederation, to contribute to the modal shift from road to rail. In the "Cargo Switzerland" business area, it is required – as system leader – to operate a wagonload freight network both within Switzerland and on the import/export routes. This network must be aligned to the needs of Swiss business and cover its owncosts. The "Cargo International" business area focuses on providing competitive and profitable traction services for intermodal and block trains on the main north–south transit corridor.

SBB Cargo is an active member of the Xrail alliance, which was founded by seven European freight railways in February 2010 with the aim of making international wagonload rail transport more customer-friendly and efficient.

Railfreight is a major topic of debate in the Swiss political arena at present. In 2011, Parliament passed a motion ordering the government to submit a master plan for the future of rail freight across the country. The Federal Council did this in mid-April 2013. The draft is expected to be submitted to Parliament in spring 2015. Because a referendum is still possible, the new legislative package will enter into force in 2016 at the earliest and include a restructuring of railfreight's general operating conditions. At the same time, SBB Cargo is pursuing a three-pronged strategy:

1. The subsidiary SBB Cargo International, jointly founded at the beginning of 2011 with the intermodal transport operator Hupac, operates shuttle trains on the north–south transit routes.