Captrain, a subsidiary of the French operator SNCF, has taken control of 95% of Cargometro Rail Transport’s capital after acquiring 46% of the shares that Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) held in the company.
FGC, which until now held a majority stake in the company, thus reduces its presence to 5% of the capital, in an operation approved by the Consell Executiu on 20 May and published a few days later in the Diari Oficial de la Generalitat.
The shareholder reorganisation responds to the Generalitat’s public sector simplification strategy. The process, initiated during Marta Subirà’s time as head of FGC, has been formalised five months after the initially planned deadline, following the holding of the regional elections.
Cargometro, which has been providing logistics services for Seat between Martorell and the Port of Barcelona on the Iberian gauge network since 2009, maintains a minimal structure: the rolling stock belongs to FGC, while the management, railway licence, and personnel are the responsibility of Captrain.
The agreement guarantees preferential acquisition rights for both partners and does not affect FGC’s other freight subsidiary, Autometro, for the time being.