Husa Transportation Group

History

ACTS Nederland BV was founded in 1989, and developed systems for transloading of containerised waste from road to rail without the use of cranes. In 1997 the ACTS container service were discontinued by NS Cargo. Subsequently ACTS gained a license to operate as a railway company, and on 16 March 1998 began to operate waste container trains between Groningen and VAM in Wijster, becoming the first private Dutch rail company. In 1999 the company began transporting ISO Containers for Vos Logistics.

In 2004 Husa Capital BV obtained a majority of shares in ACTS, Ir John Hoekwater, ACTS's founding director was replaced by Rob van Gansewinkel. By 2004 ACTS had acquired a 7% market share of rail freight in the Netherlands.

In the summer of 2006 ACTS in association with the Dutch railway infrastructure authority ProRail operated test trains on the Betuweroute. In January 2007 ACTS obtained certification to operate on the German rail system.

By January 2008 Husa Capital's stake in ACTS had risen above 90%, and at the beginning of the same year ACTS was reorganised into independent operating companies with rolling stock leasing being taken over by RailMotion AG (Basel, Switzerland); the company inherited over 300 intermodal wagons. On the same date rolling stock maintenance was split into the company The Rail Factory BV based at Apeldoorn and Amersfoort, and specialising in the maintenance of locomotives. A business sub-unit Portfeeders was also formed, to concentrate on 'feeder operations' (shunting) in the Port of Rotterdam.

On 23 January 2008 ACTS obtained certification to operate on the Belgian railway network from the national railway network company Infrabel.

In January 2009 Husa Capital BV renamed itself Husa Transportation Group.

Husa Transportation Deutschland was formed by the acquisition of Rent-a-rail GmbH (railway construction locomotive leasing) and SRS RailService (rolling stock broker) in May 2009.

De Vries Transport Services, based in Veendam was acquired in September 2009 after bankruptcy, and renamed InterModal Solutions Veendam (IMS-Veendam). The company undertakes road transport, and operates terminals in Veendam and Leeuwarden. Bulk cargo handling (powders and granules) is carried out at Veendam, and warehousing at the Groningen Railport intermodal terminal in Veendam.

In Jan. 2014 the company announced it was to exit the rail freight transportation business, citing uncompetitive infrastructure access costs. The subsidiaies HRTS Nederlands and HRTS Süd were to be offered for sale, whilst rolling stock leasing company Rail Motion, and container shuttle business Shuttlewise were to remain in business.

Group structure

Since the end of 2008 the group is divided into three divisions Husa Railway Services (rail freight and leasing), Husa Logistic Services (intermodal freight) and Husa Rolling Stock Services (locomotive and rolling stock maintenance).

The subdivisions are:

ACTS

The company began rail operations in 1999, and by 2000 had five 1500V DC ex-NS Class 1200s, 5 ex-SNCB Class 62 diesel mainline locomotives and ex-Czech Railways diesel shunters built in East Germany. The 1200 electrics and 6700 diesels were modified to work in multiple and were often used in pairs for better performance.

In 2003 three ex-British Rail Class 58s were acquired, which operated until 2009 when EMD Series 66 leased from Mitsui Rail Capital (MCRE) began to replace them. MaK / Vossloh G1206 (light freight and shunting) locomotives also began to be leased on short and long term contracts from MRCE and Angel Trains Cargo after 2004.

In 2008 ACTS started to acquire a second set of 1500V DC locomotives, former NS Class 1600 machines from Railion Nederlands., and from 2009 onwards mainline freight locomotives Vossloh G2000 BB were leased from Angel Trains Cargo and MRCE.

In 2009 ACTS leased its first Eurosprinter ES 64 F4 quad-voltage freight locomotive.

RailMotion

Since the group restructuring in 2008 RailMotion AG owns wagons suitable for heavy 40' ISO containers, 60' ISO containers, and the ACTS container system, the company also owns and leases locomotives inherited from ACTS, as of January 2011 the company has ten ex-NS Class 1600 electric locomotives.

Rent-a-Rail

Rent-a-Rail operates shunting locomotives typically of less than 1000 kW power, additionally one Vossloh G1206 and two re-engined DB Class V 100, and an ex-Deutsche Reichsbahn Class V 100 type are also operated as of 2010.

Liveries

The original ACTS livery was a deep blue with a thick horizontal yellow band, intended to be reminiscent of the American Pennsylvania Railroad, some locomotives were painted operated in the livery of one of ACTS customers, Vos Logistics, a livery of black with an orange stripe.

Later machines received a grey green livery; introduced in 2006, The ex-NS 1600 remained in the yellow-grey livery of their previous owner Nederlandse Spoorwegen, whilst other locomotives are in the livery of their leasing company. Some MaK G 1206s used for the Portfeeders subsiary have received a special livery - slate blue with orange and red shaped diagonal bands.