German rail companies start lawsuit after planned 16,2% TAC increase

Eleven German rail companies are going to court over an approved 16,2 per cent track-access charge (TAC) increase. The new TAC rate would go into…
London Chessington South ghost platform brought to life by DCRail

In southwest London, there is an adventure to be had at Chessington. It’s not the theme park of the same name. This adventure does not…
French Minister to summon SNCF chief over early retirement deal

France’s Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Bruno Le Maire, is to summon SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, to a meeting to explain the signing of an…
Analysis What spurs the international effort to bridge Afghanistan via rail?

Countries in Afghanistan’s vicinity have grown an interest in developing its rail infrastructure. More and more projects are being launched, or are at the very…
double interview Proof of Concept for paperless transport to be expected this fall

The deployment of electronic freight transport information (eFTI), is one of the pillars of the EU’s attempt to decarbonise the freight industry. The policy aims…
Russia approves 3,7 trillion ruble Far East rail modernisation

Russia has approved further modernisation works of railway infrastructure in its Far Eastern region. On the 50-year anniversary of the so-called Baikal-Amur line (BAM), the…
Another Ukraine-Lithuania rail freight connection is in the works

Ukrainian Railways (UZ) and the Lithuanian railway holding LTG Group agreed to develop a new freight service between Kyiv and Klaipėda. “The first test runs…
Onrail to take over Oslo-Narvik route, gains DB Schenker as customer

Norwegian rail operator Onrail will take over the Oslo-Narvik freight route. The company will now gain DB Schenker as a customer. Other companies did not…
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway to open for traffic in two weeks

Freight trains will start running along the newly renovated Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway on 20 May 2024. The plan is to turn the line into the…

Business

legal battle ahead? ‘DB InfraGO seeks to change rules with planned 35% TAC increase for 2026’

Track access charges (TAC) in Germany remain an issue for the rail freight industry. They will rise 16.2 per cent in 2025, with industry associations…
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…
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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…
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Asia-Europe

To participate in INSTC Iran wants to join CIS railway network

Iran is looking to join the Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) railway network. If Iran’s bid were to be accepted, it would allow Tehran to…
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…
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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…
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Policy

Says European Sea Ports Organisation ‘Big cross-border rail projects to suffer upon CEF discontinuation’

The EU’s overhaul of its budget is putting the effectiveness of transport funding in doubt. A member state-specific approach for transport funding, as is planned…
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…
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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…
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Infrastructure

DANA aftermath No reopening of Valencia-Madrid railway highway until December

After only four months from its launch, the rolling highway service between Valencia and Madrid is now unavailable due to the disastrous wave of extreme…
Diversification Switzerland goes ahead with 80 million euro investment in French railway line

It has been talked about for quite some time, but now it’s official: an 80 million euro investment in French railway infrastructure has been approved…
new infrastructure, no traffic Still no trains along renewed rail freight line in southwest France

Public investments for 25 million euros have been spent on renovating a 12.5 kilometre-long rail freight line between Laluque and Tartas, in south-west France. However,…
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…
More Infrastructure