20 years of BLS Cargo - A look back in pictures

In 2001, BLS founded BLS Cargo. CEO Dirk Stahl with Mathias Tromp, president of the board of administration.

In 2001, BLS, SBB Cargo and Hupac founded RAlpin AG and the "Rolling Highway" begins operation. President of the Swiss Confederation Moritz Leuenberger and Matthias Tromp inspect the first official train in Ostermundigen.

2002: The company makes a profit after only one year. Matthias Tromp, Chairman of the Board of administration of BLS Cargo AG, presents this pleasing result at a media conference in 2002.

2002: BLS Cargo buys ten new multi-system freight locomotives in 2002. Since then and to this day, BLS Cargo has been a pioneer in the cross-border use of locomotives. (BLS Cargo locomotive in Frankfurt am Main.)

2003: DB Cargo takes over 20% of BLS Cargo shares, Ambrogio from Italy 2.3%. With these cooperations, BLS Cargo secures easier access to the markets in the north and south.

A new era in freight transit: BLS Cargo and DB Cargo jointly run six train pairs per day over the Gotthard route for the first time from December 2003. BLS Cargo train in Faido in 2003

2004: Competition between BLS and SBB is always a topic of discussion. This was also the case in 2004 in the course of a controversial invoice.

2004: Although over 90% of the traffic volume is transit traffic, BLS Cargo also transports goods within Switzerland: Re 425 near Ligerz on Lake Biel.

2005: BLS Cargo creates 27 jobs at the locomotive crew site in Erstfeld. Media coffee in Erstfeld with Matthias Tromp, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BLS Cargo, BLS Cargo CEO Dirk Stahl and Werner Ledermann, head of the crew in Erstfeld.

2006: Foundation of BLS Cargo Italia Srl. Here the crew of the first days

2006: A stamp in honour of BLS Cargo and to celebrate 100 years of BLS Lötschberg Bahn.

2007 at the Munich trade fair: BLS Cargo has a clear profile as a specialist in transalpine freight transport. Dirk Stahl and Matthias Tromp together with Brigitte Müller (Key Account Manager BLS Cargo), Sacha Makevic (Head of Sales BLS Cargo), Kees van Hoek (Head of Infrastructure BLS), Rolf Wehrli (Key Account Manager BLS Cargo ) f.l.t.r.

2007: The opening of the Lötschberg base tunnel in 2007 increases capacity on the Lötschberg-Simplon route and thus the potential for transit traffic. BLS Cargo drives the first train through the new tunnel with its customer Ambrogio.

2008: Locomotive christening in 2008 to mark the inauguration of BLS Cargo Deutschland GmbH's new premises in Weil am Rhein. Mayor Wolfgang Dietz takes action.

2008: Dirk Stahl, BLS Cargo CEO from the very beginning, and Chairman of the Board of administration Mathias Tromp set the right course right from the start. With good intuition and strategic foresight, together they made the company an important player in international freight transport. Mathias Tromp left BLS in 2008 and Bernard Guillelmon took over.

Here's to an accident-free journey: At the 2009/2010 timetable change, BLS Cargo AG puts ten Re 486 multi-system locomotives into service. As BLS Cargo's first vehicles, the locomotives can operate in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany.

On 3 April 2011, the 100,000th train passed through the Lötschberg base tunnel. To celebrate, Bernard Guillelmon and Dirk Stahl surprised the truck drivers of the Rolling Highway with a coffee bar.

2012: A rockfall near Gurtnellen on the Gotthard route brings rail traffic to a standstill. Swiss Television reports live from the BLS Cargo control centre in Bern on 15 November 2012

2013 DB and BLS Cargo decide to go their separate ways. BLS will subsequently buy back DB's shares in BLS Cargo in 2015.

2013: BLS Cargo will be running direct goods trains from Rotterdam via Lötschberg/Simplon to northern Italy from December 2013. The order from the Dutch ERS Railways comprises 1000 trains per year.

2014: Award ceremony 2014 in the Kornhauskeller in Bern: BLS Cargo wins the Swiss Logistic Award for through-running freight transport without changing locomotives from Rotterdam to northern Italy. The lucky winners: Christian Stäubli (Head of Product Management/ Sales Transit), Stefanie Burri (Head of Communications), Dirk Stahl (CEO BLS Cargo), Frank Schuholz (CEO ERS Railways), Dirk Pfister (Head of Product Management/ Sales BLS Cargo), Christoph Rechsteiner (Key Account Manager Transit). BLS Cargo will also win the European Logistics Award in 2015.

2015: BLS Cargo once again breaks new ground and becomes the first freight railway in Europe to purchase Vectron multi-system locomotives from Siemens.

2016: Battle over railway paths: With the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, the question arises as to how many goods trains will be allowed to travel through the base tunnel in the future and how many should continue to travel over the mountain route. The Swiss Television takes up the issue using the example of a BLS Cargo goods train that is transporting goods north from Italy on behalf of Ambrogio

2017: Sale of 45% of the shares in SNCF Logistics: The new partnership between the two freight railways strengthens the business model on the North-South freight corridor. Bernard Guillelmon (BLS) symbolically hands over a BLS Cargo locomotive to Sylvie Charles (SNCF Logistics) after the joint signing of the contract.   In picture (from left to right): Dirk Stahl (BLS Cargo), Sylvie Charles (SNCF Logistics), Bernard Guillelmon (BLS AG) and Livio Ambrogio (Ambrogio Trasporti Spa)

2018: The interruption in Rastatt in 2017 poses major challenges for BLS Cargo. In a radio interview, Dirk Stahl provides information on the consequences for the company.

Focus on customers: A close relationship with customers is enormously important in the highly competitive freight transport sector. That's why BLS Cargo regularly invites customers to its customer event, in 2018 to Kandersteg and Lake Oeschinen, and proves its worth here too: BLS Cargo. The alpinists.

On 5 March 2019, BLS Cargo signs the contract for the takeover of Belgian Corssrail Benelux NV, which will be fully integrated into the BLS Cargo Group by 2020.

2019: BLS Cargo purchases a further 25 multi-system "Vectron" locomotives from the manufacturer Siemens. The new locomotives can be used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. The company is thus preparing for further growth together with Crossrail.

2020: From the beginning of November 2020, BLS Cargo operates cross-border services as far as Belgium for the first time. The new multi-system locomotives and the Belgian subsidiary Crossrail Benelux N.V. make it possible.