UK Winvic plans capacity increase at iPort Rail
News of further development work at Doncaster’s iPort Rail has been welcomed as good news for the economy of South Yorkshire. Construction company Winvic claimed…
Audi and Helrom put more car parts on the rail
Audi partnered with non-cranable semi-trailer specialist Helrom to supply three car manufacturing sites by rail. Two sites are in Germany, in Neckarsulm and Ingolstadt, while…
One billion euros for smaller rail infrastructure in Germany by 2025
The four billion euro German infrastructure program “Small and Medium Measures” for the rail network is making progress, with 138 of the planned 355 projects…
The ball is in Poland’s court for new broad gauge line with Ukraine
It is up to the Polish parliament to enable investments for a 1,520 mm gauge line with Ukraine. If the legislature passes a required resolution,…
CMA CGM and GTS Rail go international with new joint venture
French shipping giant CMA CGM and Italian rail freight operator GTS Rail are establishing a new joint venture (JV) called European Container Network to take…
Direct Rail Services roll out new fleet of JNA-Z box wagons
A fleet of 25 brand new JNA-Z box wagons from VTG Rail UK, the British arm of the multi-national freight wagon supplier, has entered traffic…
ScanMed corridor sees 2024 rebound
The Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor (ScanMed) is experiencing a rebound in volume and performance in 2024. The infrastructure managers (IMs) of the involved countries attribute the rebound…
French first and last-mile operators need state aid to survive Frejus closure
The impact of the closure of the Frejus Railway, the main border crossing between Italy and France, is being felt not only by the rail…
Projects for standard gauge in Spain get going north and south
The Spanish Ministry of Transport (MITMA) recently assigned contracts for the implementation of the standard gauge (1435mm) in key rail freight locations. The projects concern…
European transport sector calls for more EU-funding
A coalition of over 40 European transport associations is calling for additional EU funding for the sector. The European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) states that…
CKU line to cost Kyrgyzstan 8 billion dollars
Kyrgyzstan will need to spend 8 billion dollars on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) rail line. Funding is the main obstacle to the construction of the route.…
Switzerland asks ERA to update EU contract on the use of freight wagons
In the European Union, the use and maintenance of rail freight wagons is regulated by two directives, one from 2006 for their use and one…
Business
Farmers protesting
French farmers threaten to block rail freight services
A branch of the French militant farmers’ union, the Coordination Rurale (CR), have threatened to block rail freight services carrying food shipments in south-west France…
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…
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
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…
Intermodal
new terminal coming soon
Italy allocates 206 million euros for new terminal at the port of Trieste
The Italian Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS) approved the funding for the first construction phase of the so-called Pier VIII container…
service reinstated
GBRf restarts Felixstowe – Daventry connection
GB Railfreight (GBRf), one of the UK’s younger rail freight providers, is restarting a daily service between the Port of Felixstowe and Daventry Intermodal Rail…
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…
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…
Technology
digitising the industry
eFTI project gets 15 million euros grant agreement
The European Union’s electronic freight transport information (eFTI) initiative obtained funding for over 15.2 million euros for the next four years. The aim is to…
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…
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…