cost increase Turin-Lyon to cost 2,5 billion euros more, opening set back one year

The estimated costs for the construction of the Turin-Lyon railway increased from 8,6 to 11,1 billion euros. Moreover, the completion of the project shifted from…
bureaucratic obstacles Cherbourg-Bayonne rolling highway launch now set for end-March 2025

The launch of a rolling highway service linking the Normandy port of Cherbourg and Bayonne-Mouguerre, in the French Basque Country is now earmarked to start…
mail on rail Varamis anger at Royal Mail rail reversal

UK pioneering express logistics operator Varamis Rail is unhappy with the Royal Mail. The centuries-old company has decided to withdraw its fleet of dedicated mail…
new silk road Duisport’s terminal in Türkiye to start operation early next year

The construction of the future duisport’s bimodal terminal in Kartepe, 150 kilometres southeast of Istanbul, Türkiye, is entering its final stages. The first trains and…
surplus or shortage? Wagon surplus the apple of discord between RZD and other market players

The Russian railway network appears to be under pressure due to a wagon surplus hindering operations. Russian Railways (RZD) claims that around 220.000 extra wagons…
Ten-t mediterranean corridor Catalunya to get four new rail freight terminals

The European Investment Bank (EIB) granted one million euros to a consortium of companies from Catalunya to carry out a study to develop four rail…
MSC in trieste MSC’s takeover of Wärtsila in Trieste can start, region shows support

The agreement for MSC’s takeover of the former Wärstila site in Trieste was officially signed at the Ministry of Made in Italy on 29 July.…
vital infrastructure North England rail bridge arrives by road

Castleton Bridge, which spans the Transpennine M62 motorway, is being renewed. British infrastructure agency Network Rail had prepared Greater Manchester for disruption. Rebuilding the bridge,…
half-year report Getlink records performance decrease, fewer freight trains crossing the Channel

Getlink, the company managing the Channel Tunnel between France and England saw a 14.5 decrease in EBITDA for the first half of 2024 compared to…

Business

nothing for renfe Spain’s eco-incentives all go to private operators

The Spanish Ministry of Transport granted 21.8 million euros to seven private rail freight operators. This is part of an initiative which saw Spain implementing…
funds for rail freight EC approves TAC reimbursement scheme in France for almost one billion euros

The European Commission (EC) authorised a scheme for 959 million euros to boost the modal shift from road to rail in France. “Under the scheme,…
New service Rail Cargo Group launches new Zeebrugge – Budapest service

Rail Cargo Group (RCG), the freight subsidiary of Austria’s state-owned rail operator ÖBB, is launching a new service between the Belgian port of Zeebrugge and…
Road exports also banned Suspiciously high fuel consumption leads Kazakhstan to ban its rail exports

Kazakhstan’s energy ministry has put forward a proposal to ban petroleum product exports via rail. Supposedly, fuels are being exported under the guise of so-called…
More Business

In Depth

big changes ahead? ‘Block train and single wagonload businesses in Switzerland need to be separate’

Rail freight in Switzerland is currently undergoing a total revision of the Freight Transport Act, which was recently adopted by the country’s Council of States.…
Asia-EUrope statistics Silk Road volumes via Małaszewicze reach highest point in four years

The upward development of Silk Road traffic and volumes transiting via Kazakh, Russian and Belarusian rail infrastructure is also confirmed by numbers. Statistics made available…
toll increase French annual rail freight toll increases to match consumer price index

The annual increase in tolls paid by rail freight operators in France over the next couple of years is expected to be in line with…
end of an era Britain’s energy milestone is a landmark for rail freight

In the UK, the home fires are no longer burning. It really is the end of coal. Although rail delivered the last load on 28…
More In Depth

Asia-Europe

Coal from Donbass Russia may already be exporting Ukrainian coal on the INSTC

The Russian mining company “Don Coal” is planning to export coal from occupied Ukrainian territories in October. The coal is reportedly destined for countries such…
Cars and containers More Chinese goods head into major Central Asian cities via rail

China has launched two multimodal transport routes to Central Asia. The first goes to Kazakhstan’s Almaty and a second one goes the capital city of…
Road exports also banned Suspiciously high fuel consumption leads Kazakhstan to ban its rail exports

Kazakhstan’s energy ministry has put forward a proposal to ban petroleum product exports via rail. Supposedly, fuels are being exported under the guise of so-called…
Up to 50 per cent Russian Railways keeps large rail discounts for INSTC in place next year

Russian Railways (RZD) introduced a number of significant discounts on International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) rail transport two years ago, reducing transportation fees by up…
More Asia-Europe

Intermodal

Biggest UK port expansion New rail freight terminal for London Gateway

The fast-growing London Gateway container terminal has just gone into overdrive with a massive one billion pound investment programme. The owners, DP World, have given…
shift to rail New service brings the port of Venice closer to the Benelux

The port of Venice, in northeastern Italy, launched a new rail freight connection for steel and metal products to Montirone, near Brescia. With this new…
shift to rail French quarry group Carrières de l’Ouest inaugurates new terminal near Paris

Cinérites Transport & Logistique (CTL), freight forwarding arm of French quarry operator, Carrières de l’Ouest, has officially inaugurated a multi-modal freight terminal at the inland…
from road to rail Tesco keeps shifting to rail

British retail giant Tesco is continuing its modal shift initiative with the introduction of its tenth rail freight service in the United Kingdom. The new…
More Intermodal

Policy

bye bye billions? Is the French 100-billion-plan for rail in jeopardy?

A French State programme to invest 100 billion euros in rail transport up until 2040 could hit the buffers as a consequence of State budgetary…
file: greening freight package Capacity Management Regulation might be approved this spring

The management of rail capacity across the European Union is in dire need of changing, especially if the mission is to boost international rail freight…
EVG vs non-federal rail Collective wage negotiations are again on German rail’s agenda

After some time of relative calm, a new round of collective labour bargaining is again on German rail’s doorstep. The country’s largest trade union, EVG,…
Pay for priority Russian Railways wants free reign on Far East railway

After the start of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia suspended its regular priority rules for the rail network. Since then, Russian Railways (RZD) has had…
More Policy

Technology

memorandum of understanding Nevomo continues international expansion with Etihad Rail partnership

Nevomo, a tech company developing magnetic levitation concepts for rail freight, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Etihad Rail. The Poland-based company will explore the…
digitalisation Azerbaijan Railways boosts safety and digitalisation of local railway system

Within this framework, on 4 October, an executive of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) attended the 5th Eurasian Forum on Transport Safety and Digitalization, held in Almaty…
Digital Automatic Coupling ‘Let’s go for DAC, but not now’ as costs for rail freight mount

Pushing ahead with the implementation of Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) would be like “shooting ourselves in the foot”, warn Czech and Slovak rail associations ŽESNAD…
Rolling stock recovery Romanian diesel locomotives not to be scrapped, but rather made electric

Twenty Romanian diesel shunting locomotives have been saved and given an opportunity for revival. The locomotives would typically be scrapped as they near the end…
More Technology

Infrastructure

Gulf railway After securing 1,5 billions in funding, Hafeet Rail now signs contract for new freight locomotives

The Omani-Emirati joint venture Hafeet Rail is purchasing 27 new heavy-haul freight locomotives from Progress Rail. The deal now comes after the joint venture secured…
Dutch challenge as Germany works Crucial Dutch Betuwe line closed: 60 of the 80 weeks will be ‘usual busy days’

Next month, the 80-week Betuwe line works will officially start. DB InfraGO will be building a third track between Emmerich and Oberhausen, near the border…
reopening date set Austria: ‘new’ Westbahn to fully reopen on 15 December

After disastrous floods hit Austria in September, the country’s rail infrastructure was left with unprecedented damage, especially in the northeast, in the area of the…
possible delays Germany might not get access to the Brenner Base Tunnel until 2050

The German Christian Democratic parliamentary group CDU/CSU rejected Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) project for German access to the Brenner Base Tunnel, running between Austria and Italy.…
More Infrastructure