German Passau corridor closes for renovation, diversions seem unviable

As Germany is planning for much-needed rail infrastructure renovations, points of contention arise. While renovations are necessary for the outdated network, significant infrastructure downtime could…
Lack of capacity along Iron Ore Line puts hundreds of LKAB jobs at risk

LKAB, the largest iron ore producer in Europe, said that some of its facilities might close unless capacity along the Iron Ore Line, or Malmbanan,…
RailFreight Summit '24 The rail industry meets in Warsaw: 5 reasons you should also be there

The time for the RailFreight Summit ‘24, taking place between 15 and 17 April in Warsaw, Poland, has arrived. Less than a week remains until…
Spain rejects proposal to bring forward Ruta de la Plata’s reopening

The Spanish government rejected a proposal to advance the reopening of the Ruta de la Plata to 2040 instead of 2050. The railway, stretching along…
KTZ temporarily bans agricultural exports to China after border overload

Kazakh Railways (KTZ) has temporarily banned the export of agricultural goods via rail to China. KTZ explains the ban by referring to overloaded border crossings.
Maritime appointed rail freight operator at forthcoming West Midlands Interchange

The UK multimodal freight carrier Maritime Transport has been appointed rail freight operator at the West Midlands Interchange. The government-designated strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI)…
Bridge in Russia collapses onto rail tracks: Traffic restored in a day

A road bridge in Russia has collapsed onto rail tracks. The debris of the bridge blocked the main rail line between Russia and Belarus. While…
European rail a mixed bag: Polish PKP Cargo profits while others struggle

Rail freight operators in Europe are performing very differently. Big names such as DB Cargo and Lineas are in trouble, but in Poland, the annual…
Operail CEO refutes media accusations: “Operail Finland sold at fair price”

The CEO of Operail, Merle Kurvits, has responded to media attention for Operail Finland’s sale. Estonian media recently said Operail Finland’s sale was a 12…

Business

TERMINAL OPTIMISATION Tideworks gears up for European rail market expansion

As the rail freight market in mainland Europe grows, Tideworks is readying itself to make its presence felt. During an exclusive interview, Todd Tatterson, vice…
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…
Volume statistics Latvian rail freight continues trend of 25% volume drop

Rail freight in Latvia is continuing on its downward path. During the first nine months of 2024, the country recorded a drop of 25,5 per…
onto the next step Deloitte to do due diligence in Renfe-MSC deal

The Spanish national rail freight operator Renfe Mercancias has chosen Deloitte to carry out the due diligence on Medway. MSC’s subsidiary will be taking over…
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In Depth

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.…
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…
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Asia-Europe

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…
Transcontinental cooperation Romania and Kazakhstan deepen rail logistics cooperation

Two Romanian logistics companies and Kazakh Railways (KTZ) are strengthening their cooperation for rail logistics. KTZ’s freight logistics subsidiary KTZ Express signed a memorandum of…
Updated Kazakh-Chinese border: total blockade or business as usual?

The rail border crossings between Kazakhstan and China have made the news at various points throughout the year. For example, in spring, Kazakhstan stopped grain…
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…
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Intermodal

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…
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…
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Policy

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…
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,…
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Technology

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…
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…
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Infrastructure

Port infrastructure Polish Port of Gdynia welcomes big rail expansion

The Polish Gdynia port has had its rail infrastructure renovated and expanded, increasing its capacity fivefold. Among other things, the port can now handle 740-metre…
ten-t mediterranean corridor ‘Catalunya will be fully equipped with standard gauge in two or three years’

The difference in railway gauges between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe remains a significant bottleneck for international rail freight services. However, it…
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…
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