THE board of Spanish infrastructure and engineering company Comsa has reached an agreement to sell its remaining stake in rail freight operator Comsa Rail Transport (CRT) to SNCF Logistics, giving the French company 100% control.

The value of the transaction, which is subject to approval by the Spanish competition authority, has not been disclosed.

CRT began operating in 2007, when it became Spain’s first open-access rail freight operator, and SNCF acquired a 25% stake in the company in April 2013. CRT has grown rapidly over the last five years, with the number of trains operated increasing from 8400 in 2013 to 19,200 in 2017. The company had a turnover of €32m in 2017 and employs nearly 200 staff.

CRT will be renamed Captrain España, bringing it under SNCF Logistics’ brand identity for its rail freight operations outside France. Captrain España will continue to cooperate with Takargo, Portugal, on international freight flows on the Iberian Peninsula.