FOCs
What are they
FOC in the UK rail context means Freight Operating Company: a licensed train operator that runs freight services, distinct from passenger Train Operating Companies (TOCs).
A Freight Operating Company is a business that operates freight trains on the national rail network under licence and safety certification. It hauls goods but not fare-paying passengers, typically using locomotives and wagons it owns, leases, or manages under contract.
Why they matter
FOCs move goods worth more than £30 billion a year in Britain, including supermarket traffic, construction materials, fuel, cars, and exports.
Rail freight reduces road congestion and emissions by consolidating loads; a single freight train can remove dozens of lorry movements from key corridors.
Where they operate
FOCs operate across the UK main line network on open-access terms, using freight terminals, ports, quarries, refineries, steelworks, and distribution centres.
Overseas equivalents include national or private freight operators such as DB Cargo in Germany, SNCF Fret in France, Class I railroads in North America, and other licensed freight companies in Europe and Asia.
Who uses them
End customers include retailers, logistics providers, manufacturers, energy companies and ports that contract an FOC (directly or via a third-party logistics firm) to move their goods.
Industry bodies, regulators, and infrastructure managers routinely use “FOC” as shorthand when discussing performance, access charging, planning and policy alongside TOCs.
How they work
A FOC obtains a licence and safety authorisations, then bids for train paths on Network Rail infrastructure and agrees track access contracts.
It plans and runs services (train planning, crewing, locomotives, wagons, loading/unloading) and manages day-to-day operations and performance, often in competition or partnership with other FOCs and international freight operators.