Lineas acquires IRP to strengthen its presence in the Dutch market

Lineas, the largest private rail freight company in Europe, has acquired Dutch operator Independent Rail Partner (IRP). The acquisition strengthens Lineas’ presence in The Netherlands, especially in the Port of Rotterdam. A long-standing partner of Lineas, IRP is expert in first and last mile services in the Rotterdam region and a leading operator in the country connecting the largest port of Europe to the rest of The Netherlands.

For Lineas, the Port of Rotterdam is of significant strategic importance in its Green Xpress Network. The Network uniquely connects many of the Western ports to the rest of Europe and sees the Rotterdam connection now reinforced. The acquisition will allow Lineas and IRP to extend their already good collaboration and further integrate their operations to offer even better solutions for customers: shorter transit times, new operational capabilities, and new Xpress connections from Rotterdam. The combination of IRP’s strong local expertise with Lineas’ European network will provide customers with a fast, easy, reliable and full end-to-end solution between the Western ports and the whole of Europe.

Important step in European growth strategy

Consisting of daily, fast and reliable rail connections between European hubs for all types of cargo, the Lineas Green Xpress Network reduces transport times up to 80 per cent compared to traditional Single Wagon Load. Completed end-to-end with first and last mile services, it drastically lowers the threshold for companies to shift to rail.

Having grown the Green Xpress Network to 23 destinations throughout Europe, more recently adding Vorarlberg (Austria) and Poland, the acquisition of IRP sees Lineas take the next step in its European growth strategy. The aim is to gain speed through acquisitions and partnerships and build a true rail backbone for European freight transport that enables the modal shift.

Geert Pauwels, CEO of Lineas, said: “Companies are asking for easy door-to-door transport solutions with a good stretch of rail in them. With our Green Xpress Network we have built a unique solution that really hits the mark. It’s never been easier to shift to rail. Now we want to scale it up throughout Europe with other dynamic private players who also want to have a lasting positive impact on the European supply chain, mobility and climate.”