Deutsche Bahn is withdrawing from a key segment of the Spanish freight rail market, transferring its intermodal business to Boluda Corporación Marítima through DB Cargo. The announcement, made on 16 September 2025, specifies that the German group has also sold maintenance services, shunting operations and the management of intermodal terminals, while keeping its Spanish activities linked to the automotive industry.
With this acquisition, Boluda Shipping, the group’s international maritime and logistics division, becomes Spain’s second-largest private rail freight operator, behind Renfe Mercancías. The integration of intermodal rail services expands the company’s operational capacity and reinforces its growth strategy in the Iberian Peninsula, with the goal of delivering integrated and sustainable door-to-door solutions.
The divestment is part of DB Cargo’s Europe-wide streamlining plan, which also includes the sale of assets and terminals in other countries to free up resources for debt reduction and the relaunch of core activities. For Boluda, by contrast, the move marks a direct entry into the Spanish rail sector, a diversification step aligned with growing demand for low-impact intermodal services linked to Europe’s main logistics corridors. The company underlined the strengthening of environmentally efficient corridors connecting Spain, Portugal and the rest of Europe.
Ignacio Boluda, executive chairman of Boluda Shipping, stated that rail freight is consolidating its position as a sustainable and efficient mode, and a pillar of the company’s intermodal logistics strategy. The group added that the acquisition contributes not only to lowering the carbon footprint of supply chains but also to greater resilience and diversification in the services offered to customers.
