Krauts undertake railway robbery in daylight - CPNI examines it's arsehole

Some time ago Lord Patel introduced readers to the CPNI launched on 1st February" the "The Centre for the Protection of the National Infrastructure" which has been ..."formed from the merger of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) and a part of MI5 (the UK’s Security Service), the National Security Advice Centre (NSAC)."

This is (what else ?) .... "an interdepartmental organisation," - well isn't everything these days?

" ....with resources from a number of government departments and agencies. DITTO

These include MI5, (Ho.Ho.) CESG (Communications Electronics Security Group) - the UK's National Technical Authority for Information Assurance (NTAIA) (see http://www.cesg.gov.uk/) and other Government departments responsible for national infrastructure sectors.

CPNI is accountable to the Director General of the Security Service (MI5) and operates under the Security Service Act 1989. Naturally old boy, probably catch him at Boodle's if the bars open ... take a hint DON'T wear a Garrick tie. Bad form Old Boy.

In legal terms, CPNI is accountable to the Director General of the Security Service (MI5) ooo er ... (the new one not the lady who just left to spend more time with her support garments ?) and therefore operates under the Security Service Acts 1989 and 1996. CPNI is not subject to FOIA and therefore will not process FOIA requests.

So whilst our Lords and Masters are protecting our Critical whotsits they have sat by quite calmly whilst a German State owned company (Deutches Bahn DB)has waltzed off with the company that carries 70% of UK rail freight with growing connections in the now liberalised (since 1/1/ 2007 ) and massive European rail freight market.



Deutsches Bahn swoop

Doncaster based English Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) took over British Rail's rail freight business in 1996 and employs 5,000 people. It is a private company ( currently owned by a consortium ofUK, North America and New Zealand investors) with 500 locomotives and over 14,000 wagons and carries over 100 million tonnes of freight per year on 8,000 trains every week.

Rail's share of the UK surface freight market (ie road + rail) is now close to 11 %.
2 million tonnes of cargo move through the Channel Tunnel to Europe by through freight train per year, where EWS operate as a separate sunsidiary company Euro Cargo Rail - business which collapsed totally when the tunnel was beseiged by illegal immigrants.
EWS controls 70% of the cargo sent by train (which has grown 60% in last 11 years) in the UK and has an annual turnover of £500m.

Germany's state owned Deutsche Bahn (who have 90% of the German freight market - Ditto SNCF in France) hve finally agreed terms to buy out EWS for approx £250 Mn - and simultaneously announced a take over of Madrid based Transfesa, a Spanish road and rail logistics provider specialising in transporting cars. Transfesa has a fleet of 7,900 special wagons which are equipped with interchangeable axles , allowing them through transit on Europe's different rail widths eliminating the need of freight transhipment. It has sales of some £180m a year.

Transfesa road-based transport services are increasing and it now has 250 trucks and 270 trailers of its own as well as sub-contracting work.

Earlier this year, drivers of the firm's Class 66 locomotive,(introduced in 1998 a General Motors Canadian built loco - replacing Class 31, 33, 37, 47, 56, 58, and 73) which form the backbone of its fleet, threatened to boycott the trains over "unsafe and unhealthy" condition. Drivers complained in April the cabs lack air conditioning and proper seating and are noisy and unhealthy.

If you read the HOC Select Committee on the EU of 18th Oct 2004 you will see how our wonderful leaders have surrendered our attempts at integrating a Europe wide integration freight network and left it to EU state owned enterprises now to mop it up.


Railion expand across Europe

Railion, Deutsche Bahn’s rail freight business, has annual sales of some £2.3bn. It has 25,000 employees serving 3,300 customer sidings in Germany alone.

The Railion Group consists of Railion Deutschland, Railion Nederland, Railion Danmark and Railion Italia focusing on block train, single freight car and combined transport segments, principally for bulk freight for the iron and steel, chemical, mineral oil, fertiliser, agricultural and forestry products, consumer goods, building materials and waste disposal sectors.

Deutsche Bahn’s land transport, air and ocean freight, contract logistics and supply chain management business units operate under the century old Schenker brand with annual revenues of £11 Billion. The combined transport business is an independent business unit operating under the Intermodal brand with a clear focus on seaport hinterland transport services and the main continental transport corridors.

At the end of 2005, DB bought Bax Global, *** the US-based freight forwarding and logistics business from The Brink’s Company for £623m in cash. This has now been merged into the Schenker business.

The European rail freight market has been open to competition since 1 January 2007 and DB / Railion has been looking to exploit the opportunities offered by a liberalised market. It already provides cross-border rail freight services from a single source, operating 100 freight trains non stop across the European continent daily.


For example Contintental tyres despatch > 90 % of all goods produced at the Puchov plant in Slovakia either to the Hanover (via the Czech Republic) or Straubing (via Austria) European distribution centres and then on by rail to to Miramas, near Marseille, and Traiskirchen, near Vienna .

So DB paid £250 Mn for 11% of UK Total Freight business, and 800 locos and 14,000 waggons. Sounds like a bargain .. what was that about Critical whotsits and the National Infrastructure ?

Whilst are clever spy catchers are worrying themselves (and everyone else) silly about a some wannabe bombers someone is happily stealing our water, energy and transport resources - next one GAZprom and LUKoil (Who from July 1st took over Conoco Philips 1,800 JET petrol stations in Europe) absorb Centrica and a great deal of our fast disappearing natural gas.

PS. (Essen/Dubai, 15 June 2007) Schenker is further expanding its presence in the Middle East region and in East Africa. To achieve this goal, the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary has now set up a Regional Head Office in Dubai. For many years, Schenker was represented by partners, but has now gone a step further and set up a joint venture in Dubai with the former BAX Global *** partner Al Naboodah. From its base in Dubai, Schenker will coordinate its activities in the following countries: United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.