7 Sept. 2018

6th Mainz company run – small team displays sporting commitment

The BLG AutoRail team entered this year’s Mainz company run with 5 participants. The fastest runner in the team covered the 5-kilometre distance through Mainz in 23 minutes and 26 seconds and finished in 531st place in the individual ranking. A total of 6,995 participants were registered for the run.

The BLG AutoRail team came 278th out of 1,709 registered teams.

The well-deserved success was celebrated with an enjoyable evening with tasty food and drinks.

2 July 2018

BLG AutoRail manager Gerald Binz retires – Thomas Bamberg sole managing director

With a personal circular to business partners, friends, colleagues and employees, the founder and managing partner of BLG AutoRail GmbH and BLG RailTec GmbH, Gerald Binz, retired on 1 July 2018. After 50 years in the profession, he said it was time to say ‘goodbye’ and embark on the ‘last stage of life’. “The many events and experiences in this long professional development have had a great impact on me. I have been very fortunate to meet many people with whom I have had interesting and exciting times. Some business relationships have resulted in friendships that still exist today. I am very proud of that,” said Binz, who thanked everyone for the trust placed in him and for the support and cooperation during all these years, “Times have changed, but people remain. That is why I ask you to continue in your commitment to BLG AutoRail GmbH and BLG RailTec GmbH, which I will accompany as a shareholder and advisor also going forward. My successors will continue to run the companies with commitment and motivation, whereby customer and performance orientation, conduct in a spirit of partnership and fairness towards all those involved will remain at the forefront”. In conclusion, Gerald Binz wished all addressees much success, health and personal satisfaction.

Thomas Bamberg, second managing director of BLG AutoRail GmbH since August 2013 and of BLG RailTec GmbH since November 2014, will represent both companies as sole managing director on an interim basis until another managing director is appointed.

1 Feb. 2017

10-year company anniversary

BLG AutoRail GmbH celebrates its 10th anniversary.

8 Jan. 2017

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 724,575 vehicles by rail in the calendar year of 2016.

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 724,575 vehicles by rail in the calendar year of 2016.

18 Oct. 2016

Double-decker to Italy and Spain

Since BLG AutoRail GmbH was founded at the beginning of 2008, the innovative rail transport company, with its corporate operations in Mainz and its own workshop and marshalling yard in Falkenberg, has undergone rapid development. Meanwhile, the logistics service provider for the automotive industry operates a fleet of 1,300 modern automobile transport wagons.
SUT editor Hans-Wilhelm Dünner spoke with managing partner Gerald Binz about the development and future prospects of this innovative rail-automotive logistics provider.

On 1 February 2007, CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH, based in Mainz am Rhein, was founded by the shareholders CTL Logistics Warsaw (75 %) and Gerald Binz (25 %), who subsequently concluded supply contracts for four block trains with 76 wagons for automobile transport for 2008. In December 2007, Binz bought CTL Logistics’ shares and became the sole shareholder. In February 2008, BLG showed interest in acquiring a stake in the new, highly interesting company and BLG Automobile Logistics GmbH & Co KG took over half of the company’s shares taking retroactive effect from 1.1.2008 and the company changed its name to BLG AutoRail GmbH, with headquarters in Bremen and the operating facility in Mainz.

Thanks to a dedicated customer orientation, a broad service portfolio, high flexibility in order processing and innovative wagon technology, BLG AutoRail GmbH subsequently experienced dynamic growth. Today, 14 employees dispatch new vehicle transports by rail throughout Europe from Mainz. The wagon fleet now consists of 1,300 highly modern BA 700 and BA 800 double-decker automobile transport wagons. 200 new flat wagons for the transport of small commercial vehicles were ordered recently. “This makes BLG AutoRail one of the leading providers in this market segment and it has the most modern and universally applicable equipment in Europe,” Binz is convinced.

Individual transport concepts are offered tailored to customer requirements, operationally optimised rail transports with strong and flexible traction partners throughout Europe at prices in line with the market and the competition. Complete services are also provided in association with the BLG Logistics Group, which in addition to rail transports also include truck and ship transports as well as terminal and technical services through to distribution transports to the retail trade. “In the process, the various elements may be booked separately as individual services or all from a single source,” says Binz, whose team has built up long-term and constructive partnerships in the market with creativity, commitment and the will to perform.

“Embracing ‘Green Logistics’, all our wagons are equipped with ‘whisper brakes’, so that we are well below the permissible noise value of 82 decibels. For us, however, the avoidance of noise emissions starts already with the loading of the wagons: by buffering the crossover plates between the wagons with rubber bearings, we can also load our trains at night wherever automobile delivery takes place near residential areas,” says Binz, describing the ecological advantages of BLG AutoRail vehicle technology. “Our high standards for environmentally friendly transport handling are reflected in the sustainable deployment concepts of our wagon fleet: thanks to route optimisation, the bundling of traffic flows and sensibly developed return-load concepts result in increased transport efficiency with optimised transport routes,” Binz pointed out.

BLGRailTecGmbH, founded in July 2011 and based in Falkenberg/Elster, plays a decisive role in the implementation of this sustainable operating concept. The wholly owned subsidiary of BLG AutoRail GmbH purchased a disused marshalling yard with 25 km of track, an area of 150 hectares and a parking capacity for 350 freight wagons from DB Netz, which was ceremoniously reopened on 28 October 2011. “We have invested around 20 million euros in technical facilities and the construction of a workshop at this site and have since created around 70 new jobs,” Binz says. “By investing in infrastructure, signalling technology and the construction of a modern wagon workshop, we created the necessary capacity to be able to carry out wagon parking, train formation and maintenance work.”

Today, the overhaul of the company’s own wagon fleet is carried out here, with train formation times being used for maintenance and repair work. “About 30 % of the workshop capacity is utilised by our own wagons, the rest is marketed to other wagon fleet operators,” Binz is pleased to report. Since May 2014, the facility has been supplemented by a washing and drying plant as well as a wagon painting line with a blasting section. Preventive wagon inspection is gaining in importance in the context of owner’s liability (ECM). “BLG RailTec’s all-round wagon service comprises the comprehensive inspection and repair of automobile transport wagons and other wagons, including wheel set and component reconditioning,” Binz expands on the range of services in Falkenberg.

At present, the large marshalling yard is used mainly for train formation to various destination stations, the bundling of individual wagons and groups of wagons and the preparation of regional line haulage. For this purpose, BLG RailTec purchased two second-hand shunting locomotives in December 2011, which were refurbished by ALSTOM in Stendal in 2008 and fitted with a more powerful engine with 1,305 kW Caterpillar engines. “We have rented four additional tracks from DB to harness electric locomotives,” Gerald Binz adds. “From Falkenberg, we serve 12 destinations, such as the German seaports but also in Denmark and Amersfort in the Netherlands. The logport I in Duisburg is connected as well, from where vehicles are transported further by ship or truck. Our customers include the vehicle manufacturers Dacia, Skoda and VW as well as also international automotive brands.”

„Eine Herausforderung in der Bahnlogistik sind stetige Kostensteigerungen für Trassennutzung, Energie, Zulassungsverfahren und behördliche Auflagen bei nur geringem Produktivitätsfortschritt etwa durch höhere Zuglängen, was die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Bahntransports gegenüber Lkw und Schiff in den vergangenen Jahren deutlich verschlechtert hat“, beklagt Gerald Binz. For example, the many construction sites in the rail network due to diversions led to incalculable journey times and costs. “This is a problem all over Europe,” says Binz. Insbesondere im Elbtal und Rumänien sei die Lage schwierig. He calls on politicians to speed up work on the numerous construction sites and to maintain the infrastructure well. “We need European rules of the game in rail transport urgently,” he says. “In Germany, the EEG (Renewable Energy) levy makes rail electricity more expensive and penalises environmentally friendly rail transport. In view of the strong competitive pressure of road transport, this is a wrong decision in my view. Rail electricity and track prices have been rising for years, while the price of diesel and the HGV toll have fallen. We have equipped our entire wagon fleet with whisper brakes. The new plastic brake pads cost four times as much to maintain as conventional brake pads. On the other hand, however, there are no incentives from DB Netz to convert the wagons more quickly through cheaper track prices,” Binz points out. “Politicians only pay lip service to this.” He added that the Federal Railway Authority had applied new guidelines for hazardous goods transports to all freight wagons according to the scatter-gun principle. “Track prices have increased by 13% since 2010 and traction prices have increased by 18% due to new technical requirements and diversions caused by construction sites. For example, the European Train Control System ECTS costs 400,000 euros per locomotive. Of course, you have to pay extra for the traction current and the routes of the diversions. And whether you transport 1,000 or 3,000 tonnes makes no difference to the track prices. Therefore, light goods end up on the road all too often.”

But it is not only along the route that there are cost hikes. “We are increasingly faced with expensive parking charges at the loading and unloading sites, ranging from 4 to 200 euros per wagon per day – at Bremenports, for example. At the HPA in Hamburg, for instance, there are tracks with different tariff zones – but we have no control over where our wagons are parked,” Binz reports. Track rents in Bratislava increased by 78 % from 2014 to 2015. But the costs for approval procedures, licences and certifications are also becoming increasingly expensive, so that a separate industry with service providers has emerged. “They are becoming rich from it and this growing price tag is hindering us in our competition with trucks,” he says.

Preventive maintenance should help to reduce costs and at the same time increase the level of safety. To this end, Gerald Binz and Michael Breuer founded the Bonn-based company RailWatch in 2015, which has developed an innovative system for diagnosing and recording the technical condition of freight wagons. “At a multifunctional measuring station through which goods trains pass, a complex measuring system automatically records the technical condition of various components on trains and freight wagons, which it assesses for wear or damage and makes the information available to the rail transport company or the freight wagon owner for a fee,” says Binz, describing how the measuring portal works. There is great interest in this innovative system and following discussions with various ports and industrial companies, the first of these systems will soon be installed.

Gerald Binz also sees opportunities to increase competitiveness in the use of a new type of wagon that meets the growing trend towards purchasing larger SUVs with an innovative rail transport solution. The new 810 type wagon developed by BLG AutoRail two years ago is specially designed for the double-decker transport of 12 SUVs in the G1 loading gauge. The existing wagon fleet already offers double-decker transport of 12 SUVs in the G2 profile. In the G1 profile, as it exists in Italy, France, Spain and England, among others, this is currently not possible with the classic wagons. “With the normal double-decker wagons, one level would then have to be loaded with normal passenger vehicles,” Gerald Binz explains. By using smaller wheel sets in the G1 profile and lowering the upper and lower levels after loading, it is now possible to achieve the optimum load factor with SUVs in the G1 and G2 profiles.

Other developments of the wagon are the open side panels on the upper deck. This makes it easier to remove snow in winter, and fixed handrails have also been installed. While the upper deck has a closed track made of non-slip material, the lower deck is equipped with perforated plates. “There is nothing comparable anywhere in the world, which is why we had this new development patented,” Gerald Binz emphasises. With the option for this wagon, of which two prototypes are in use, BLG AutoRail has created a concept for paired transport to Barcelona for a customer. In Barcelona, there are three tracks in the direct vicinity: standard gauge, Spanish narrow gauge and broad gauge. Here, the wagon could show its strength in carrying two layers of SUVs at the same time. A similar concept exists for the transport of VW Touaregs and Hyundai Tucsons to Italy. From 2017, another innovative wagon type will be available in the form of the AutoRail Laadgrs 100. With a length of 33 m over buffers and a load length of 31 m, the flat wagon is designed for the optimal transport of up to five vans, says Gerald Binz, “We are investing over 15 million euros in a total of 200 units.”

Gerald Binz believes that BLG AutoRail is well equipped for the challenges of the future with its investments in Germany’s most modern wagon fleet as well as its own marshalling yard at a hub of the European North-South, Western and Eastern railway lines with a modern wagon workshop as well as a maintenance and service centre, “Our own train formation facility enables us to offer our customers a new quality of service, which has already been very well received by the market. Our own repair and service facilities increase the availability and service life of our wagon fleet, help us keep costs under control and thus increase BLG AutoRail’s competitiveness!”

​

Report: Schiffahrt Hafen Bahn und Technik (SUT) by Hans-Wilhelm Dünner and Michael Nutsch

10 Jan. 2016

BLG AutoRail GmbH transported 682,985 vehicles in 2015

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 682,985 vehicles by rail in the calendar year of 2015.

5 Oct. 2015

3rd Mainz Company Run – with reinforcements from Falkenberg, the BLG AutoRail team will enter again this year

For the third time, the starting shot sounded for the Mainz company run on Thursday 10.09.2015. With over 7,000 registered runners and walkers, the BLG AutoRail team started with strong support from Falkenberg.

27 May 2015

Expansion and addition to the workshop in Uebigau-Wahrenbrück

Washing – Blasting – Painting – Assembly

BLG RailTec’s extensions to the freight wagon workshop have been completed since the beginning of July 2015. Over a length of more than 40 metres, professional cleaning can be carried out on freight wagons before they are further processed in a 20-metre-long free-blasting section. Connected to this is a combined spraying and drying cabin, also 20 metres long, 6 metres wide and 6 metres high, for painting. A downstream workstation for assembly activities rounds off the new extension.

Do you have any questions or need further information? Our workshop manager, Mr Damian Pendzialek, is looking forward to your call.

23 Oct. 2014

Inauguration of the most modern freight wagon workshop in Europe

On 21 October 2014, BLGRailTec commissioned one of the most modern freight wagon workshops in Europe at Uebigau-Wahrenbrück. In doing so, it is also helping to develop the Falkenberg site into an important railway hub in Germany once again.

The new wagon service centre is located on an area of 25,000 square metres, where preventive maintenance on freight wagons, shunting services, train formation as well as revision work on freight wagons in accordance with the railway operating regulations are offered. These services are not only offered for BLG AutoRail’s own wagons, but also for other wagon keepers. In order to fulfil this task, 50 staff members are already employed at the Falkenberg site.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by numerous representatives from local and state politics, who had supported the construction of the new workshop. Frank Dreeke, Chairman of the Board of Management of the international BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG, headquartered in Bremen, said in his welcoming speech, “You have all supported us in one way or another with great commitment, so that we have been able to happily realise our pledge here in Falkenberg.”

The Falkenberg marshalling yard was purchased back in 2011. The facility is favourably located in terms of transport strategy on one of the main routes to the North Sea ports of Bremerhaven, Emden and Hamburg, where the logistics company BLG is also active. In June 2011, the parties involved had begun to define the scope and equipment for the new freight wagon workshop. The Brandenburg Ministry of Economics provided 1.1 million euros in funding for the project, which involves an investment volume of around 16 million euros. “I congratulate BLG on this great project,” said Kathrin Schneider, State Secretary of the Brandenburg Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture. “Brandenburg is a transit state and we really appreciate it when both value is created along transit routes and new jobs are provided, as BLG has done in Falkenberg.”

Gerhard Ringmann, head of department responsible for economic development at the Ministry of Economic and European Affairs, added, “Logistics is a growth industry – also at a European level. The German capital region – located between the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe and the economic centres of Western Europe – offers logistics companies an optimal starting point for future European activities. The proximity to Poland and the Czech Republic, the excellent transport connections and the well-developed infrastructure form the basis for the dynamic structural development that this region has undergone in recent years. The decision of the internationally active BLG group of companies to invest in a freight station in the Elbe-Elster district that had been lying fallow for years is an important contribution to strengthening Berlin-Brandenburg as a logistics location.”

Our Managing Partner of BLG AutoRail GmbH, Gerald Binz, was also pleased about the successful completion of the project after some ups and downs and emphasised in his speech, “We are convinced that only through technical innovation and the creation of advantages relevant to the system can we promote the ecological transport mode of rail.”

Developments in the market have led to considering an own company workshop capacity, especially as major overhauls are stipulated for the wagons every six years. “Here, there was an increasing danger of having to fear capacity bottlenecks due to workshop closures, which would then be detrimental for the wagon availability. In Eberswalde and Zwickau, DB will soon be closing two more workshops with a total of 574 employees,” says Gerald Binz. The freight wagon workshop in Uebigau will soon be expanded once again due to the positive response and demand. In addition to two more work stands, a modern painting line and the extension of the track facilities by an additional five kilometres to 25 kilometres are planned.

We have been operating our own trains since 2008 and already have the most modern fleet of wagons in Europe. All 1,275 wagons are equipped with whisper brakes, which keep the noise produced by the trains when braking well below the maximum permissible limit of 82 decibels. We transported around 550,000 automobiles by rail in an environmentally friendly way in 2013. Our new Laaers 810 pioneering design equipped for the future was introduced just recently.

You can also visit the BLG RailTec GmbH homepage to find out more about the company and its activities.

16 Oct. 2014

2nd Mainz company run – BLG AutoRail team shows sporting commitment

The five-kilometre route led through the historic old town of Mainz, among other places. Healthy ambition, team spirit and perhaps also the fact that the Lord Mayor himself wished the colleagues good luck before the start ensured that all BLG AutoRail participants finished among the top third. This was celebrated after the run with a barbecue, beer and wine.

The Mainz company run is one of the largest in the region and supported various social projects again this year. By joining in, we actively support the organisation Mainz 05 Hilft e.V. for a good cause.

Photo: Michael Ebling (centre), Lord Mayor of the city of Mainz, personally wished the BLG AutoRail team every success before the start.

16 May 2014

BLG AutoRail presents innovative new wagon design

BLG AutoRail “goes Orient”

SUVs now also fit in Italy thanks to new automobile transport wagons for the smaller G1 loading gauge.

Am 14. Mai 2014 stellte die BLG AutoRail GmbH auf dem BLG-Terminal in Hamburg einem interessierten Publikum den Prototypen eines neuen Autotransportwaggons vor. On 14 May 2014, BLG AutoRail GmbH presented the prototype of a new automobile transport wagon to an interested audience at the BLG terminal in Hamburg. BLG Board of Management member Michael Blach and BLG AutoRail GmbH Managing Partner Gerald Binz welcomed representatives of automotive manufacturers, service partners, competitors and members of the press.

Europe does not have a homogeneous railway landscape. There are different axle loads, track gauges, train lengths and profiles. Italy has the smallest profile.

The existing wagon fleet of BLG AutoRail, currently comprising 1,275 special wagons, is able to transport 12 SUV’s on double-decker wagons in the G2 profile. However, this is not possible in the G1 profile to Italy and France. By using smaller wheel sets (760 mm instead of 840 mm) and lowering the upper and lower levels after loading, it is possible to achieve the same load factor as in the G2 profile. There is nothing comparable anywhere in the world and that is why BLG AutoRail has also patented the new development.

With the youngest and most modern wagon fleet in Europe on average, BLG AutoRail transported more than 500,000 vehicles across Europe’s rail networks last year. All wagons have a flexible upper level, which can be lowered completely, and they can then be used as flat wagons. Furthermore, all wagons are equipped with the whisper brake (K-sole). The noise level of the BLG AutoRail wagons is significantly below the maximum permissible limit of 82 decibels.

The new wagon development was regarded by the numerous guests as a big step towards a competitive rail solution for Italy, France and Spain.

25 Feb. 2014

Intercontinental transport of two block trains to the Asian part of Turkey

BLG AutoRail “goes Orient”

BLG AutoRail had already developed rail concepts for various automotive manufacturers for transport to and from Turkey in the past. When the heavy snowfall in Slovenia made the route to the port of Koper barely accessible, a specific request came from Skoda to run two trains to the Asian part of Turkey at short notice. Within 36 hours, BLG AutoRail was able to submit a binding price and service offer.

On 07.02.2014 the first train, on 10.02.2014 the second train left the Czech Skoda plant in Mlada Boleslav. From the Slovakian/Hungarian border to the Turkish port of Tekirdag, the trains were guarded by specialised security forces. The approximately 2,300 km route to Terkirdag was completed in four days. Upon arrival, the wagons were shunted onto a railway ferry and, after a six-hour journey, they landed at the port of Derince, located in the Asian part of Turkey. There, the wagons were pulled from the railway ferry into the port area and unloaded with the help of a mobile ramp.

The total running time of the two trains, all the way to the Asian part of Turkey, was less than five days. The vehicles arrived in Derince without theft, vandalism or transport damage.

The managing partner of BLG AutoRail, Gerald Binz, said,
“Our customer was so satisfied with the transit time and the quality of the rail transports that we are taking this as an incentive and trying to establish regular transports to and from Turkey.”

12 Jan. 2014

BLG AutoRail GmbH transported 588,601 vehicles in 2013

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 588,601 vehicles by rail in the 2013 calendar year.

2 Oct. 2013

1st Mainz company run – BLG AutoRail jogs

4,500 sports-mad employees from Mainz companies jogged together on 12 September at the city’s first ever company run. Our BLG AutoRail team also joined in. Over the five-kilometre course through Mainz city centre, they were cheered on by other colleagues and ultimately clinched a good middle place. We also actively supported the Mainz 05 Hilft e.V. organisation for a good cause.

22 Aug. 2013

BLG AutoRail and BLG RailTec with ECM certificate

In August 2013, BLG AutoRail GmbH, based in Mainz, successfully obtained the ECM certificate in accordance with Regulation (EU) 445/2011. The subsidiaryBLGRailTecGmbH, operating in Falkenberg, had already received the ECM certificate in the maintenance provision module in May 2013. This means that BLG AutoRail and BLG RailTec now have all ECM modules, maintenance development, fleet maintenance management and maintenance provision. “We are thus in a position to offer other wagon keepers an integrated, efficient and cost-optimised fleet management system,” says the managing partner of BLG AutoRail GmbH, Mr Gerald Binz.

The audit association praised particularly the high level of maintenance development. Binz explains, “We are proud that we have been able to increase the availability of our wagons through preventive maintenance and design changes. This effect primarily benefits customers in the automotive industry, who ensure high delivery quality with reliable automobile transporters.”

BLG AutoRail GmbH currently has 1,200 special wagons for automobile transport by rail. By mid-2014, the stock will increase to 1,275 wagons. In parallel, BLG AutoRail is having two prototypes suitable for service in Italy developed that are capable of transporting 12 SUVs per wagon to Italy, France and Spain. A technical innovation that BLG AutoRail has secured under patent law. The prototypes are being built by the wagon manufacturer Greenbrier in Swidnica (Poland) and will undergo a practical test at an automotive manufacturer in September 2013.

The subsidiary, BLGRailTecGmbH operates a marshalling yard and a wagon maintenance facility in Falkenberg. By the middle of next year, a modern wagon workshop will be built at the Falkenberg site, which will offer services for other wagon owners in addition to looking after its own wagons.

6 Jan. 2013

BLG AutoRail GmbH transported 515,094 vehicles in 2012

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 515,094 vehicles by rail in the 2012 calendar year.

31 July 2012

Wagon christening of the 1,000th wagon in Kelheim

Andreas Scheuer, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, took over the sponsorship of BLG AutoRail’s 1,000th special wagon on 16 July at the BLG automobile terminal in Kelheim. He appropriately christened the wagon “Andreas” and wished it and its 999 siblings a safe journey at all times.

BLG AutoRail launched its first train in autumn 2008. After 100,000 vehicles in the first full year of operation in 2009, 320,000 automobiles were already transported by rail last year. This year, the number is expected to reach 500,000. Altogether, the fleet is to grow to 1,300 wagons by 2013. This corresponds to 75 block trains.

BLG’s rail transport service has met with a wide-ranging response from the automotive industry. Volkswagen had already presented BLG with the award for best logistics service provider in 2010 for its commitment to rail. In 2011 BLG took over the marshalling yard in Falkenberg in Brandenburg. There, groups of wagons with export vehicles from the manufacturers’ individual plants are assembled into block trains and driven to the automotive terminals on the North Sea. But regular rail transports to the Kelheim automobile terminal are also part of BLG AutoRail’s timetables.

Kelheim is BLG’s strongest location in southern Germany. One asset is the Danube river, along which BLG regularly transports vehicles from Eastern Europe to Kelheim on two barges to check and process them at the technical centre there before they are delivered to the car dealers. The Kelheim automotive terminal has 500,000 square metres of space and storage capacity for 30,000 vehicles. 200 employees take care of the handling and technical processing of the vehicles.

In 2011, a total of 175,000 vehicles were handled and processed technically in Kelheim. BLG attributes the successful development of the terminal not least to the trimodality – the direct connection to road, rail and waterway. However, BLG’s expertise in automobile logistics is just as decisive. With 6.5 million vehicles last year, it was able to further expand its position as European market leader in this sector.

Photo: State Secretary Andreas Scheuer (centre) appropriately christens the 1,000th BLG AutoRail wagon “Andreas”, flanked by BLG Managing Directors Frank Lehner (BLG Automobile, left) and Gerald Binz (BLG AutoRail).

(Source: BLG PressBox from 17.07.2012)

1 Feb. 2012

5-year company anniversary

BLG AutoRail GmbH celebrates its 5th anniversary.

1 Jan. 2012

BLG AutoRail subsidiary buys two BR 203XL locomotives

BLGRailTec has purchased two BR 203XL shunting locomotives from SC Rail Leasing Europe B.V. The locomotives were refurbished by ALSTOM in Stendal in 2008 and received a more powerful engine with a 1,305kW Cat engine as part of this measure. The locomotives replace the BR 214 001 leased from NBE and should be used for the shunting operation at Falkenberg upper station. One locomotive serves as a possible replacement in order to have a fail-safe system and to guarantee delivery reliability to BLG AutoRail customers.

22 Dec. 2011

Wagon stock amounts to 820 units

Wagon stock is 820 units with the 700 and 800 types, which corresponds to a capacity of 45 block trains.

25 Oct. 2011

Re-opening of marshalling yard and commissioning of technical centre in Falkenberg/Elster

BLG AutoRail’s subsidiary, BLGRailTec, reopened the Falkenberg/Elster marshalling yard at a grand inauguration on 28 October 2011. The marshalling yard and the technical centre are being put back into operation.

Photo from left to right: Michael Wuth (DB Netz), Gerald Binz (BLG AutoRail), Manfred Kuhr (BLG Logistics), Herold Quick (Mayor of Falkenberg/Elster), Andreas Claus (Mayor of Uebigau-Wahrenbrück)

16 Jan. 2011

BLG AutoRail GmbH transported 325,624 vehicles in 2011

BLG AutoRail transported a total of 325,624 vehicles by rail in the calendar year of 2011.

10 Jan. 2011

Foundation of the “BLG RailTec GmbH” subsidiary

The 100% subsidiary BLGRailTecGmbH, based in Falkenberg, is founded.

9 Jan. 2011

BLG AutoRail GmbH transported 226,053 vehicles in 2010

8 Dec. 2010

494 Newly built wagons for BLG AutoRail GmbH

The number of new wagons is 494, which corresponds to 27 block trains.

27 June 2010

Volkswagen Group Award for BLG AutoRail

Presentation of the Volkswagen Group Award for BLG AutoRail by Prof. Dr. Winterkorn and Dr. Garcia Sanz.

28 Apr. 2010

Wagon supply contract with Greenbrier Wagony, Swidnica (Poland)

Conclusion of a wagon supply contract with Greenbrier Wagony, Swidnica (Poland).

10 Jan. 2010

BLG AutoRail GmbH transports 100,000 vehicles in 2009

20 May 2009

Certification DIN 9001:2008 and DIN ISO 14001:2004

BLG AutoRail is certified according to DIN 9001:2008 and DIN ISO 14001:2004.

8 Oct. 2008

Delivery of the first train

Delivery of the first train with newly built wagons from ABRF Industries, Chateaubriant (France).

5 Mar. 2008

Rebranding as BLG AutoRail GmbH

BLG Automobile Logistics GmbH & Co KG buys 50% of the shares from the 100% shareholder Gerald Binz taking retroactive effect from 01.01.2008. CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH becomes BLG AutoRail GmbH with headquarters in Bremen and a branch in Mainz am Rhein.

6 Jan. 2008

Wagon supply contract with ABRF Industries, Chateaubrinat (France)

Conclusion of a wagon supply contract with ABRF Industries, Chateaubrinat (France).

2 Dec. 2007

Gerald Binz buys shares in CTL

Gerald Binz buys 75% of the shares in CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH from CTL Logistics Warsaw.

Warsaw-based CTL Logistics and Gerald Binz have agreed to place the previously jointly operated company CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH, Mainz, completely in the hands of Gerald Binz. To this end, CTL Logistics has sold its 75 percent share in the limited company to Binz. The mutually agreed separation is due to CTL Logistics’ concentration on the traction of trains in international rail transport. According to the company, it wants to remain free to do business with all automotive logistics companies under consideration.

Gerald Binz will continue to run the jointly built business independently. He will decide in the short term whether and with which strategic partners he will cooperate at company level.

CTL Logistics and Binz have agreed that they will continue to work together on suitable transports in the automotive sector. This applies in particular to rail transports along the major East-West axes in Europe.

CTL offers rail and road freight transport. In addition, its range of services includes logistics services such as border and port transhipment, warehousing, customs clearance, wagon and tank wagon leasing as well as shipment tracking. The company has 30 stations, 5,000 wagons, 170 locomotives, 138 kilometres of rail network and can draw on a fleet of trucks.

1 Feb. 2007

Foundation of CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH

CTL Logistics Warsaw (75%) and Gerald Binz (25%) found CTL Car Transport Logistics GmbH, based in Mainz on the River Rhine.