Czech and Slovak freight operators to merge?

International Railway Journal, August, 2008

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THE transport ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia are to discuss the possibility of merging former Czech Railways freight arm CD Cargo with Slovakian counterpart ZSSK Cargo.

"In the first stage we will analyse the project and draw up details of the project's further development," Czech transport minister Mr Ales Rebicek told the Czech News Agency.

CD Cargo, which became an independent company in December, is already the fifth largest railfreight operator in the European Union, with annual volumes of around 90 million tonnes. ZSSK Cargo carried 50 million tonnes of freight in 2006 and has 800 locomotives and 16,370 wagons.

The merger has been under consideration since October last year, and could be a precursor to the eventual privatisation of the company, which would be the third largest railfreight operator in Europe.