Freight news – Page 18
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NewsFerrocarril Central financing secured
URUGUAY: An additional US$110m of financing for the Ferrocarril Central project has been secured by PPP concession holder Grupo Vía Central. On October 9 the consortium of NGE Concessions, Sacyr Concesiones, SACEEM, and BERKES said this would consolidate the financial foundations of the project while reinforcing ...
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NewsTurkmenistan – Afghanistan rail link to be extended
AFGHANISTAN: Work has been launched to enhance the Towraghondi freight terminal on the border with Turkmenistan and extend the 1 520 mm gauge rail link to Sanobar in Herat province. A ceremony was held on September 11 to launch work on the US$40m enhancement project after ...
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NewsGerman government approves sale of DB’s Schenker business
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn’s planned sale of the Schenker land, air and maritime logistics business to Danish transport group DSV was approved by both the DB supervisory board and the federal government on October 2. The sale forms part of DB’s ‘Strong Rail’ strategy of focusing on ...
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Rail Business UKResearch and innovation are not ‘optional extras’ for rail freight operators
UK: The Chief Executive of the Rail Safety & Standards Board has called on the rail freight sector to co-fund research to help achieve the previous government’s ‘bold’ goal of increasing rail freight by 75% by 2050. Speaking at the 32nd Rail Freight Group Conference in ...
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NewsFortescue and Downer to develop heavy-haul battery loco design
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Zero and rolling stock supplier Downer have announced plans to develop what they promise will be the world’s most energy-efficient battery electric locomotive. The partnership announced at InnoTrans in Berlin on September 25 is intended to develop what the companies call ‘an innovative zero ...
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NewsZambia Lobito railway concession signed
AFRICA: The governments of Angola and Zambia have signed concession agreements with Africa Finance Corp paving the way for construction of an 800 km rail link between the two countries.
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NewsRail competition works, says European Commission report
EUROPE: ‘Competition in railways seems to trigger an increase in ridership and brings about significant benefits to society’, according to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport.
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NewsState aid should be limited and targeted, says European Rail Freight Association
EUROPE: ‘We need to think about the role of public money in rail freight strategically’, European Rail Freight Association President Dirk Stahl said when the organisation set out its position on the European Commission’s proposal to reform state aid rules for land and multimodal transport. ‘There ...
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Rail Business UKRail freight up 7%
UK: The Office of Rail & Road reports that freight transported by rail totalled 4·18 billion net tonne-km in April to June 2024, an increase of 7% on the same quarter last year. The proportion of freight trains cancelled or arriving after 15 min was 7·6%. ...
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NewsFrench railway enhancements needed to support European freight modal shift
EUROPE: Combined transport company Hupac says railways in eastern France need to be enhanced to ensure the long-term reliability of north-south European freight services by offering an alternative to routes through Germany. Following three years of preparation, SBB Cargo International, Captrain France, DB InfraGo and SNCF ...
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NewsLocos ordered to lead Swiss rail freight into the future
SWITZERLAND: SBB Cargo and Stadler have signed a framework agreement at InnoTrans covering the supply of up to 129 multi-system electric locomotives, with a firm order for an initial 36. They will be delivered between 2027 and 2035 to replace the ageing Re420 locos and support a ...
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Rail Business UKGB Railfreight electro-diesel loco on show in Berlin
INNOTRANS: One of the 30 Stadler Class 99 electro-diesel locomotives ordered by GB Railfreight through leasing company Beacon Rail is a highlight of the manufacturer’s presence at InnoTrans, the world’s largest railway industry trade fair which is being held in Berlin on September 24-27. The first ...
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NewsTanzania-Zambia Railway concession to be signed this year
AFRICA: China Civil Engineering Construction Corp is in active negotiations for a 30-year concession to operate the Tanzania-Zambia Railway network and revitalise the infrastructure and rolling stock. CCECC built the Chinese-funded line in the 1970s, and recently undertook a comprehensive business and technical inspection of the network. ...
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NewsDigital platform aims to increase locomotive utilisation
INNOTRANS: The Resource Sharing Broker digital platform for matching freight operators’ locomotive requirements with leasing companies’ availability has been developed with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of the rail freight sector. RSB has been developed by Rail-Flow, Fraunhofer IML and BELog to offer daily, weekly ...
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Metro Report InternationalAmazon deliveries by LastMileTram
GERMANY: Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, city transport operator VGF and retailer Amazon are testing the use of trams to deliver parcels from the outskirts to the city centre. This aims to reduce road traffic, noise and carbon emissions in the urban area. The parcels ...
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Metro Report InternationalParcel delivery by tram and cargo bike on test in Strasbourg
FRANCE: The delivery of parcels to the city centre by tram and cargo bike being tested in Strasbourg. The project is being undertaken by La Poste, Alstom, local authority Eurométropole de Strasbourg and operator CTS. A member of postal staff accompanies around 100 parcels in the ...
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NewsGreen Cargo to focus on ‘more robust and reliable’ services on busiest routes
SWEDEN: Green Cargo is to adapt its operations to offer ‘more robust and reliable’ services in 2025, focusing on corridors where the state-owned freight operator already has high volumes of block train, wagonload or intermodal traffic. Shunting will take place at fewer locations, with this work ...
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NewsEuropean Rail Freight Association sets out priorities
EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has issued a 2024-29 manifesto setting three out three broad policy objectives and four issues it believes must be addressed by during the current five-year EU legislative cycle. Its objectives are fixing infrastructure, achieving the Single European Railway Area and ...