Brussels, 21/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - Connex, the transport of the security of Veolia Environnement, joined the competition in the French rail freight sector on 13 June, having beaten SNCF in an international call for tenders, for the transport of 200,000 tonnes of chalk for the Belgian group LHOIST over five years, between the sites of Dugny-sur-Meuse in France and Völklingen in Germany. On behalf of its subsidiary CFTA Cargo, Connex obtained its railway company license and safety certificate in 2004, two conditions necessary to operate trains on the French railway network. In order to carry out its services, the company will have recourse to the own resources and experience of its two subsidiaries, CFTA Cargo in France and Connex Cargo Logistics in Germany.
This makes Connex the second operator in France, after Reseau Ferre de France (RFF), to become a member of the EIM (European Rail Infrastructure Managers), which has been encouraging the opening up of the rail freight sector to international competition since March 2003. "The arrival of new operators onto the rail sector brings genuine opportunities to develop new services and improve the competitiveness of quality services, at a time when the traditional operators are restructuring", EIM reiterates in a press release.