The Netherlands sees drop in rail freight in 2020
In the Netherlands, 40 million tons of goods were transported by rail last year. This is 6.2 per cent less than in 2019. This decrease…
What happens when the COVID discounts for rail are gone?
Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of…
METRANS more than doubles New Silk Road traffic in 2020
In 2020, METRANS has increased the number of container trains travelling between Europe and China by 114 percent. This is despite the pandemic. According to…
Rail continues to lose 30 million euros per week due to pandemic
The pandemic and the consequent lockdowns continue to impact heavily on rail freight. Compared to 2019 figures, revenues from rail freight have gone down from…
Germany wants to almost nullify track access charges
Germany has proposed to continue the reduction of track access charges until the end of 2021. Interestingly, the charges will almost be nullified; from the…
UK policy call: Support the supply chain and cut emissions
The UK rail freight industry will be a critical part of the supply chain. That is the finding of the Rail Freight Group’s Phil Smart,…
‘EU Year of Rail should be extended in face of COVID-19’
CER, EIM and UNIFE – among the main rail associations in Brussels – have asked for an extension of the European Year of Rail, as…
Pandemic or Suez blockade: how this company is always thinking ahead
While the railway industry unfolds its potential during the ongoing pandemic, the Suez crisis puts it to another rigorous test of resilience. Speaking on how…
Swissterminal offers ‘virus-free containers’
The Swiss terminal operator Swissterminal is offering customers a new container disinfection service, which makes for what it calls ‘virus-free containers’. The introduction of this…
DB Cargo’s loss more than doubled in 2020
Rail freight operator DB Cargo was hit hard by the corona crisis in 2020. The company saw its losses more than double. With an increase…
Belgium reduces track access charges until end of June 2021
The Belgian government has announced to financially support the rail freight industry. Until 30 June, a reduced tariff applies for freight trains, and cancellation and…
Containers pile up at UK’s ports due to Brexit and pandemic
Post-Brexit trade disruption and ongoing congestion are causing critical build-ups of containers at UK ports, according to the latest data from Container xChange. The UK’s…