Newleaf Cargo Rail

Newleaf Cargo Rail are a freight operating company who operate all railfreight services in Newleaf Island. The franchise is currently operated by DB Cargo, who took over from Freightliner on 1 March 2016.

History
Newleaf Cargo Rail were founded in 2003, with the franchise being awarded to Freightliner. Operations commenced on 1 January 2004 with the first of fifty low emission Class 66 diesel locomotives to be delivered. All fifty were delivered by 2006, when an order was placed for ten Class 70 locomotives. These were delivered in 2008 and 2009.

In 2012, Newleaf Cargo Rail placed an order for 25 Class 68 and 30 Class 88 locomotives from Vossloh, to work alongside the existing Class 66 fleet, as a result of an upturn in railfreight traffic. The first Class 68s were delivered in 2013, and some were soon made available for passenger as well as railfreight work. The first Class 88s are expected to be delivered in May 2016.

DB Cargo took over the franchise on 1 March 2016. At this time, the operation was facing a severe locomotive shortage, as a result of underinvestment during the Freightliner era. Twenty withdrawn Class 60 locomotives from the United Kingdom are currently being shipped to Newleaf Island and overhauled for operations with Newleaf Cargo Rail, to reduce the locomotive shortage.

Later in March 2016, it was confirmed that twenty Class 92 electric locomotives would also be imported for Newleaf Cargo Rail by new franchisee DB Cargo; eleven from DB Cargo UK, six from DB Cargo Romania and three from DB Cargo Bulgaria.