Freight news – Page 116
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Swedish operator Green Cargo announced on April 19 that it had ordered a further six Transmontana electric locomotives from Romanian manufacturer Softronic for delivery in autumn 2019. This follows from a July 2017 order for two of the six-axle locos, which are scheduled for delivery in autumn this year. Slovakia’s ...
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First Amber Train links the Baltic States
EUROPE: The first Amber Train branded intermodal freight service left the Šeštokai transhipment facility in Lithuania for Riga in Latvia and the Paldiski terminal in Estonia on April 19, carrying 43 containers which had originated in France. Operations in the Baltic States were managed by Lithuanian Railways, Latvia's LDz Cargo ...
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NewsFreight restructuring as SNCF reforms push ahead
FRANCE: Visiting the port of Bonneuil-sur-Marne on April 16, Prime Minister Eduard Phillippe, Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot and Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne announced a series of measures to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of SNCF’s rail freight business. The package includes increased support for intermodal transport and a ‘remission’ of ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The first direct freight service between China and Wien left the Chengdu Qingbaijiang freight terminal on April 12, carrying 44 containers of electronic components, lighting equipment and homewares on a 9 800 km route via Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and Slovakia. It was organised by Chengdu International Rail Port Group and ...
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NewsDonchak electric locomotives delivered to Transoil
RUSSIA: Transmashholding’s Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant has supplied petrochemical transport company Transoil Transport & Logistics with a further eight 2ES4K Donchak 3 kV DC twin-section 6·4 MW electric locomotives. Russian Railways is the major operator of the 2ES4K and the related three-section variant of the design, with more than 550 ...
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NewsLondon to Duisburg and China freight service launched
UK: The inaugural scheduled freight service from DP World’s London Gateway terminal east of London to the Duisburg freight hub in Germany set off on April 10, with the load including containers bound for China. This follows demonstration China to London and London to China services which ran last year. ...
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NewsCSX agrees short line spin-offs
USA: CSX Transportation has reached agreement to sell almost 300 km of railway in Alabama and Georgia to Denver-based HGS Railway Holdings, following its announcement earlier this year that up to one-third of its total network was being reviewed for possible closure or sale. HGS has established two wholly-owned subsidiaries ...
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NewsMercitalia and UTLC sign China – Europe rail freight MoU
INTERNATIONAL: Italian national freight operator Mercitalia Rail and the United Transport & Logistics joint venture of the national railways of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop integrated container services between China and Europe. UTLC would provide logistics services between China and Europe on the ...
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NewsNewag to rebuild 60 locos
POLAND: PKP Cargo has awarded Newag a 477m złoty contract to modernise its ageing shunting fleet by rebuilding 60 Class SM48 locomotives as Type 15D/A locos, designated Class ST48. The work is to be undertaken between October 2018 and May 2021, and follows a previous contract covering 30 locomotives. Only ...
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NewsTRC returns as vertical separation ends
TANZANIA: A new Tanzania Railways Corp has been established to bring together railway infrastructure and operations, following a decade of vertical separation, Minister of Construction, Transport & Communications. Prof Makame Mbarawa explained at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam to launch the organisation. Under the terms of the Tanzania Railway ...
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NewsRZD awards 327-loco supply and maintenance contracts
RUSSIA: Transmashholding has signed two contracts to supply main line locomotives to Russian Railways. For the first time TMH will take sole responsibility for whole-life maintenance of locos it has supplied to the national operator. Announcing the contracts on April 4, TMH said it expected the inclusion of long-term maintenance ...
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NewsIsaka – Kigali electrification proposed
AFRICA: The governments of Tanzania and Rwanda have commissioned a feasibility study into electrification of the long-planned 521 km cross-border rail link between Isaka and Kigali. Provisionally costed at US$2·5bn, the line is intended to connect the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Burundi with the inland container terminal at Isaka ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Konkan Railway inaugurated a multimodal logistics park at Balli station near Madgaon in Goa state on March 28. The park has been set up with an investment of Rs430m by Konkan Railway and Container Corporation of India Ltd. Swedish port operator Yilport has awarded Green Cargo a three-year contract to ...
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NewsHigh speed trainset to be converted for freight
ITALY: National freight operator Mercitalia has revealed plans to convert an ETR500 high speed trainset to carry freight. The Mercitalia Fast service would be aimed at the market for time-sensitive shipments, with customers expected to include couriers, logistics operators, manufacturers and distributors. The ETR500 would be equipped for the rapid ...
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NewsEurasian transit freight joint venture restructured
INTERNATIONAL: The United Transport & Logistics Co intermodal transit freight joint venture of the national rail operators of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia was reorganised with effect from April 2. UTLC said the changes which had been approved by the partners at the end of last year were intended to increase ...
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NewsPort of Brisbane rail link study announced
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland and federal governments have agreed to jointly fund a A$1·5m independent study into improving rail freight connections between Acacia Ridge and the Port of Brisbane. This could include the construction of a dedicated freight line. To be completed in the next 12 months, the study will take ...
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NewsSpanish rail spend up 25%
SPAIN: On April 3 Development Minister Íñigo de la Serna presented his department’s budget for 2018, including rail spending of €4∙3bn which represents 48∙3% of total investment. According to ministry, the rail total is up 25∙6% on the year before. During 2018, the Ministry of Development is planning to spend ...
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NewsPartners sought as SBB Cargo cuts back wagonload
SWITZERLAND: Discussions with investors and potential business partners are on the summer agenda for SBB Cargo Schweiz as it targets a return to break-even by 2020. Having achieved positive results in 2013, 2014 and 2016, SBB Cargo Schweiz ended 2017 with an operating loss of SFr37m as wagonload volumes fell ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Mitsubishi Corp subsidiary MTF Logistics has leased 62 flat wagons from EVR Cargo subsidiary WagonPro. They are to be used on container services between the Port of Muuga and Koidula on the Russian border. EVR Cargo already cooperates with MTF Logistics on two intermodal routes. DB Cargo has begun operating ...
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NewsBritish Airways takes delivery of tank wagons
UK: A batch of aviation fuel tank wagons which British Airways is to lease from VTG Rail UK has been delivered to London from The Greenbrier Companies’ Wagony Świdnica factory in Poland. Fully compliant with aviation regulations, the wagons will be bottom-loaded at the refinery and include a vapour recovery ...