New Romanian transshipment terminal opens at Ukrainian border

Grampet Group, a Romanian private rail freight company and owner of Grup Feroviar Român, is opening its newly built grain transshipment terminal near the Ukrainian…
db schenker sale Deutsche Bahn selects four finalists for DB Schenker sale

Deutsche Bahn (DB) has chosen the four finalists for the sale of DB Schenker. The last contenders are Danish shipping giants Maersk and DSV, the…
Rail Cargo Group acquires Captrain Netherlands

ÖBB subsidiary Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has acquired Captrain Netherlands. RCG and Captrain closed the deal on 31 May. With the acquisition, RCG is continuing…
TAC increases across Europe might kill rail freight operators

Track Access Charges (TACs) are on the rise in many European countries. For many rail freight operators this is a massive burden that could threaten…
German rail renovations to cost Austrian industry 250 million euros

Austrian industries are set to lose 250 million euros over the planned German rail renovations. The neglected German rail network is crucial for Austrian industrial…
Europe’s busiest mixed traffic route blocked after freight train derailment

The West Coast Main Line, which connects London with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, is blocked by a freight train derailment. The incident happened overnight,…
Turkey to start building key Zangezur connection in late 2024

Turkey will start building a railway from Kars to Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan’s exclave region, at the end of 2024. In combination with a possibly completed Zangezur…
Metrans’ terminal in Slovakia just got bigger

Metrans, the rail freight subsidiary of HHLA, expanded its terminal in Dunajská Streda, near the Slovakian border with Hungary. The terminal now has 50,000 extra…
Swedish rail investments “urgent” for industry to flourish

Investments in Swedish rail are a necessity for the country’s industry to flourish. One in four of Sweden’s industrial companies is seriously affected by disruptions,…

Business

Up from last year Green Cargo reports third quarter operating profit of approximately 1,6 million euros

Swedish rail freight operator Green Cargo has achieved a third quarter operating profit of 18 million Swedish crowns (1,57 million euros). During last year’s Q3,…
new company, old roles Fret SNCF ‘successor’ to provide traction on Rail Route Connect network

The ‘successor’ to Fret SNCF is set to take on its role of traction provider to Rail Route Connect (2RC). This is a French network…
sale of the century Bonds, shares and bank debt: this is how DSV plans to pay for DB Schenker

Danish shipping giant DSV will raise funds for the purchase of DB Schenker through a large bond sale. The company is expected to issue four…
New service Polish CLIP Group launches container and semi-trailer rail service to Barcelona

The Polish transport and logistics company CLIP Group is launching a new container and semi-trailer rail service between the Polish Swarzedz terminal and the Can…
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In Depth

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…
Establishment of Carpatica Feroviar Romania’s controversial plan to save state rail freight

CFR Marfă, Romania’s state-owned rail freight operator, will soon be liquidated following bankruptcy. In its place will now come a new state-owned operator by the…
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.…
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Asia-Europe

Money for rail Turkish rail gets new multibillion funding in 2025, on par with the road

The Turkish rail sector can count on a funding of 305 billion Turkish lira (8,2 billion euros) in 2025, which is significantly higher than in…
Asia - Europe Kazakhstan’s Kuryk port gets new grain terminal while Aktau port struggles with capacity

The Kuryk port in Kazakhstan, located on the Caspian Sea coast, now has a new grain terminal. The opening comes at a vital moment, as…
Freight from China Russia’s new Arctic Express runs 31 trains in first operational season

The Arctic Express, Russia’s new freight line to the northern port of Arkhangelsk, has completed its first operational season. Since mid August, Russia has run…
Kazakh proposal Afghanistan may be unlikely focal point in circular intermodal transport scheme

International interest in Afghanistan as a transit hub is growing, with Kazakhstan being one of the key players in setting up logistics through the Afghan…
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Intermodal

modal shift tests Volkswagen to start EcoDuo-rail intermodal pilot between Germany and Spain

A new intermodal pilot project to move Volkswagen products between Germany and Spain will start in 2025. The initiative, led by the German Association of…
road to rail Rail boosted by Southampton modal shift programme

The modal shift incentive at the Port of Southampton has contributed to improvements in intermodal cargo handling numbers. The operators of the Solent Rail Terminal…
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…
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Policy

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.…
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…
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Technology

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…
Two containers on a single wagon Kazakhstan tests double-stack container load

Kazakh Railways (KTZ) has tested a service with a double-stack container load. Its freight subsidiary KTZ Express cooperated with wagon manufacturer Ziksto (ЗИКСТО) to make…
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…
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Infrastructure

Romania Constanta port to get new 150 million euro rail access

The Port of Constanta, on Romania’s Black Sea coast, is getting a new rail access. The project, valued at 750 million lei (approximately 150 million…
Busiest rail line Poland’s Gdańsk region may get a new track, separating freight from passengers

The Polish infrastructure ministry wants to build a fourth track on the rail line south of Gdańsk, towards the rail hub of Tczew. It is…
accident aftermath Manchester derailment prompts urgent bridge safety review across UK

A UK government department has taken the unusual step of issuing an official “Urgent Safety Advice” following the derailment of an aggregates train in Manchester…
port infrastructure Spain approves 730-million-euro plan for new rail access to port of Barcelona

The Spanish government authorised the signing of a tripartite agreement to start construction of the new southern rail entrance to the port of Barcelona. The…
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