Hector Rail

Hector Rail is a Swedish-based independent train haulage provider. It operates in the European rail transport market and possesses its own rolling stock, including a fleet of 100 locomotives. The company provides both locomotives and drivers to freight customers who need to have whole unit trains hauled between two places with a regular timetable.

Hector Rail operated its first train on 12 December 2004 shortly after its establishment. Four years later, Hector Rail formed a long term partnership with the Dutch logistics company Samskip to operate direct rail freight services between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. In 2009, Hector Rail hauled its first passenger service. In September 2014, the company was acquired by the Swedish global investment organization EQT Infrastructure II, at which point the company fleet comprised roughly 50 locomotives and 10 shunters. During 2016, Hector Rail strategically aligned with the British freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRF) following its acquisition by EQT AB; it was sold four years later. In late 2019, Hector Rail, in partnership with several other companies, launched the Coevorden-Nässjö rail freight service between the Netherlands and Sweden. During May 2021, Hector Rail began operating train services for FlixTrain within Sweden. In early 2023, Hector Rail provided traction for a new international freight service between Sweden and Italy.