storms & strikes Weather becomes a delaying factor for German rail again

Bad weather-strikes-bad weather. This is the sequence of events that German rail freight has dealt with in the past few weeks. Following the industrial action…
world in focus Canada-US-Mexico services start to deliver for CPKC

Combining CP and KCS networks enables CPKC to transport cargo from Mexico to more US and Canadian destinations, shifting focus to longer haul routes.
Supply chain impact Derailment at port of Felixstowe results in intermodal blockage

Britain’s busiest intermodal rail terminal is partly blocked by a derailment. Felixstowe, which is also Britain’s busiest marine sea container terminal, has a substantial fraction…
Russia-India Corridor Iran inaugurates railway linking Caspian Sea to Persian Gulf

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) sees another critical rail puzzle piece taking its place. The Qazvin-Rasht rail link will be inaugurated on Thursday, 20…
File: Greening Freight Package ‘Policymakers are giving up on rail freight goals’

The EU Council adopted a General Approach on the Capacity Management Regulation of the Greening Freight Package on Tuesday, 18 June. This means that the…
Asia-EUrope Nurminen Logistics and Kazakhstan eye joint Middle Corridor investments

What started as a regular service cooperation in late 2022 is now ready to upgrade into a full partnership aimed at rail investments. Nurminen Logistics…
company restructuring Hundreds of PKP Cargo employees to be moved to passenger operator

The Polish national rail freight operator PKP Cargo is sailing through troubled waters due to decreasing volumes and performance. The company placed thousands of its…
world in focus Rail freight key to keep Australia’s grain market financially competitive

Bulk transport by rail is among a crop of measures from the Australian GrainGrowers, a national association reprinting the arable farming industry and its supply…
closed corridors German network overhaul at full steam; here are the latest updates

Amidst a wave of railway infrastructure renovations expected to occur in Germany in the coming weeks and months, more information surfaces regarding the closure and…

Business

against fret sncf discontinuation French rail unions call for strike on 21 November, and it might only be the beginning

“It’s time for conflict at SNCF”. This is how four French rail trade unions began their note announcing a 24-hour general strike for Thursday, 21…
company reogranisation Azerbaijan Railways to merge ADY Container into ADY Express

Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) has merged its ADY Container subsidiary with ADY Express as part of its reorganisation process. This initiative will lead to container and…
Up to 20 per cent LTG Cargo goes ahead with 2025 price increases

Lithuanian rail freight operator LTG Cargo has announced a number of price increases for its services. Supposedly, the increases will affect approximately a fifth of…
new names revealed The successors of Fret SNCF officially have their names: Technis and Hexafret

The two entities replacing the French rail freight operator Fret SNCF now have their official name. The company taking care of locomotive maintenance will be…
More Business

In Depth

interview ‘It’s hard to convince shippers to use combined transport services’

Lahaye Global Logistics is a French family-owned road haulage and logistics company based in Brittany. Railfreight.com spoke to Bastien Thirion, Lahaye’s director of rail freight,…
rolling stock repurposing UK electric shunter completes field trials

Developers Positive Traction have successfully completed trials with their prototype electric shunter, rebuilt from a successful diesel design dating back to the 1930s. Their first-of-a-kind…
Delay or no delay? Fehmarnbelt tunnel’s rail freight traffic could be delayed until a decade from now

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel is supposed to provide a shortcut to rail freight traffic, alongside road traffic, from Germany into Scandinavia. The grand opening of the…
optimistic predictions Survey of French shippers highlights strong growth potential of rail freight

A major study of the development of rail freight in the industrial and agricultural sectors in France has concluded that there is the potential for…
More In Depth

Asia-Europe

Problems on the Russian network Russian Railways leaked audio: ‘We want hundred thousand wagons off the rails’

In a leaked conversation with Russian government officials, Russian Railways’ (RZD) head Oleg Belozerov ordered no less than 100,000 wagons to be removed from the…
France-Kazakhstan axis Kazakh Railways and Alstom expand partnership with new type of locomotive

Kazakh Railways (KTZ) signed an agreement with French locomotive manufacturer Alstom for the production of a new type of electric locomotive for rail freight transport.…
Istanbul - Bulgaria Türkiye completes vital rail tunnel drilling for Asia – Europe freight traffic

Türkiye has completed excavations for an important rail tunnel that is supposed to enhance freight traffic to and from Europe. The tunnel is a relatively…
company reogranisation Azerbaijan Railways to merge ADY Container into ADY Express

Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) has merged its ADY Container subsidiary with ADY Express as part of its reorganisation process. This initiative will lead to container and…
More Asia-Europe

Intermodal

interview ‘It’s hard to convince shippers to use combined transport services’

Lahaye Global Logistics is a French family-owned road haulage and logistics company based in Brittany. Railfreight.com spoke to Bastien Thirion, Lahaye’s director of rail freight,…
balkan connections RCG launches another service through Serbian subsidiary

Austrian rail freight operator Rail Cargo Group (RCG) is launching a new service through its recently established Serbian subsidiary. The service will connect Serbia’s capital…
rail-port synergies Spain launches two feasibility studies to boost rail freight in A Coruña port

The Spanish ministry of transport began two feasibility studies concerning the port of A Coruña, in the northwest of the country. One of the studies…
boosting combined transport France’s master plan for combined transport highlights need for more terminals

France has published a “national master plan” for combined transport. Drawn up by the State Directorate-General for Infrastructure, Transport and Mobility (DGITM), in close collaboration…
More Intermodal

Policy

Public versus private Dutch government and rail freight sector do not see eye to eye on DAC

The Dutch state secretary for infrastructure, Chris Jansen, recently attended a Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) demonstration with his German counterpart. Jansen sees potential in the…
file: greening freight package European associations ask for more concreteness over Greening Freight Package

The Greening Freight Package remains a significant initiative for the European Union. One of its pillars, the Combined Transport Directive, is however once again in…
rail revolution? MPs in France push to connect all logistics sites to the railways

A French Parliamentary bill aimed at developing rail freight has been tabled by a group of MPs which, if passed into law, would oblige all…
subsidy dilemma Italy opens application for this year’s subsidies, but still hasn’t paid last year’s

The Italian Ministry of Transport has opened applications for the 2024/25 Ferrobonus incentive, one of the main measures to support the country’s rail freight sector.…
More Policy

Technology

rolling stock monitoring Austrian solar-power tracking for DB Cargo

A Vienna-based telematics specialist has won a contract with DB Cargo AG to provide self-powered monitoring telematics hardware for freight rolling stock. CargoMon Systems GmbH…
Public versus private Dutch government and rail freight sector do not see eye to eye on DAC

The Dutch state secretary for infrastructure, Chris Jansen, recently attended a Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) demonstration with his German counterpart. Jansen sees potential in the…
rolling stock repurposing UK electric shunter completes field trials

Developers Positive Traction have successfully completed trials with their prototype electric shunter, rebuilt from a successful diesel design dating back to the 1930s. Their first-of-a-kind…
New technology Öresund bridge gets rail maintenance-reducing pilot

The Öresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden is the site of a pilot project that is supposed to reduce maintenance on the rail tracks. With…
More Technology

Infrastructure

Istanbul - Bulgaria Türkiye completes vital rail tunnel drilling for Asia – Europe freight traffic

Türkiye has completed excavations for an important rail tunnel that is supposed to enhance freight traffic to and from Europe. The tunnel is a relatively…
Infrastructure renovation Germany kicks off Emmerich – Oberhausen works

Renovation works on the Emmerich – Oberhausen railway started on Saturday 2 November. It is an important route for freight trains, and will lead to…
rail-port synergies Slovenian Parliament gives final approval for Divača-Koper doubling

The Slovenian Parliament officially approved the project to double the Divača-Koper railway line. Construction works for the second track leading into the country’s largest port…
rail at a standstill Valencia remains logistically isolated due to extreme weather conditions

The east of Spain is currently experiencing extreme weather conditions, especially in the area of Valencia. The events have already claimed dozens of lives, caused…
More Infrastructure