PKP Cargo eyes “untapped” semi-trailer market for business revival
Polish state-owned rail freight operator PKP Cargo is looking for ways out of its dire financial situation. Earlier, the company’s new management took the drastic…
Europe’s mining giant scrapes for options to secure more rail capacity
LKAB, the largest mining company in Sweden (and Europe), relies heavily on rail freight transport along the Iron Ore Line, which connects the Swedish port…
Freight gets the message to British TV
Freightliner’s chief executive, Tim Shoveller, hosted a TV news crew aboard a long-distance intermodal service last week. The journey was the weekend lead for Channel…
TX Logistik launches new Göteborg – Umeå intermodal connection
TX Logistik is launching a new intermodal service in Sweden. The company will run a biweekly round trip from Göteborg to Umeå via Eskilstuna near…
Hupac’s numbers during 2023 decreased across the board
Hupac’s volumes in general fell by 11.7 per cent, from 975,000 to 845,000 road consignments. In financial terms, this translated into a “consolidated result” of…
Demonstration in Paris to save rail freight ‘for the planet and jobs’
A demonstration will be held in Paris today, Tuesday, 28 May, to save rail freight “for the planet and jobs.” The protest is being staged…
Fuel, electricity and labour costs behind new KTZ cargo fee hikes
Higher fuel, electricity and labour costs are forcing Kazakh Railways’ cargo division (KTZ-GP) to increase its prices. Indebted Kazakh Railways (KTZ) is increasing its prices…
Medway to operate three new terminals in Spain by 2025
Medway, MSC’s rail freight subsidiary, will soon start operating three intermodal terminals in the Spanish region of Extremadura, near the border with Portugal. The three…
Russia and Belarus to harmonise rail freight tariffs
Russia and Belarus will unify rail tariffs. Reportedly, the two countries are already working on the implementation of the measure. Most likely, it will lower…
London Bow Goods Yards plans submitted
A plan has been submitted to regenerate 30 acres of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard, East London. The scheme will deliver London’s largest integrated…
Tajikistan looking for 7,5 billion dollars in funding for rail
Tajikistan seems to be hopping onto the bandwagon for rail infrastructure in Central Asia. The country is looking for 7,5 billion dollars (7 billion euros)…
Kombiverkehr adds Niš MBOX Terminal to its intermodal network
A win-win solution between Kombiverkehr and MBOX Terminal will see the two partners extending their service network. The two companies have commenced a new collaboration…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…