Freight news – Page 57
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NewsPort of Göteborg reports record rail traffic
SWEDEN: The port of Göteborg handled 458 000 TEUs by rail in 2021, the highest annual figure in its history, up 9% on 2020, Göteborg Port Authority announced on February 2. More than 60% of the container traffic passing through the port is now being transported ...
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NewsRefrigerated goods from Japan to Europe by rail and sea
INTERNATIONAL: Russian Railways, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism and FESCO have organised an initial delivery of refrigerated containers of Japanese cargo to Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway. The containers containing food, beverages and pharmaceutical products requiring special transport conditions were shipped from Toyama ...
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NewsPauwels steps down after Lineas losses
BELGIUM: Geert Pauwels has announced his resignation as Chief Executive Officer of independent rail freight operator Lineas ‘with immediate effect’ from February 3. Pauwels had led the former SNCB Logistics business since it was established in 2008, steering the company through the ...
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NewsEuropean Commission investigates German support for DB Cargo
EUROPE: The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into whether German government support for state-owned DB Cargo is in line with state aid rules. The commission said DB Cargo has been persistently loss-making, with its losses fully and continuously covered by parent company DB AG. ...
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NewsFinnish diesel locomotive delivered
FINLAND: The first of 60 Class Dr19 diesel locomotives ordered by national railway VR for shunting, freight and local passenger operations has arrived in Tampere for testing.
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In depthComment: Rail freight’s big battery booster
A string of recent orders for battery-electric locomotives from railways in North America and Australia offers hope of decarbonising the heavy haul freight sector, as well as the promise of innovations which railways elsewhere could adopt in the future.
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NewsNew fleet to serve Olacyr de Moraes Railroad
BRAZIL: Freight concessionaire Rumo is planning to spend around R$1∙9bn on the acquisition of up to 45 locomotives and a fleet of 2 142 wagons, according to local media reports. The fleet would operate on new lines to be known as the Olacyr de Moraes Authorised ...
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Metro Report InternationalStudy to assess moving freight on trams and buses
GERMANY: The Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure has awarded a €2·7m grant for the CargoSurfer project, which aims to explore use of spare capacity on buses and trams to carry freight such as parcels and fresh produce. The initiative will use artificial intelligence to ...
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NewsOperail sees intermodal traffic shift to rail
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail reports that it shifted a record volume of container traffic from road to rail in 2021 despite facing some challenging market conditions. Operail services replaced 16 000 lorry journeys with rail transport, and the company grew its intermodal freight traffic by ...
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NewsCustom-designed chemical tank wagon certified
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained federal certification for a custom-designed liquid chemical and hydrocarbon tank wagon, with the first batch being produced for the RN-Trans logistics subsidiary of oil company Rosneft. ‘In response to a request from our customer, we have custom designed a new ...
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NewsSecond-generation ‘Pandaroo’ locomotives delivered
AUSTRALIA: China’s CRRC Ziyang has shipped a batch of second-generation SDA1 diesel locomotives ordered by SCT Logistics. SCT ordered an initial six first-generation SDA1 ‘Pandaroo’ locomotives in September 2010 for delivery in 2011, and a further four in March 2011. It ordered 12 of the second-generation ...
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NewsCattle train contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Following a competitive tender, the government of Queensland has awarded Watco East West the North West contract to operate trains transporting herds of cattle from regional hubs to processing facilities on the east coast. This follows from the Central West contract awarded to Watco last ...
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NewsPakistan Railways launches Karachi container service
PAKISTAN: Pakistan Railways has inaugurated a service transporting containers from Hutchison Ports’ South Asia Pakistan Terminal in Karachi to inland destinations including Lahore. Speaking at the launch ceremony on January 24, Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati said the port is expected to handle 3·1 million containers/year, ...
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NewsPolitics and geography impede Central Asian rail freight corridors
INTERNATIONAL: The development of a southern rail corridor between China and Europe via Central Asia, Iran and Turkey as an alternative to the established routes through Russia is facing substantial difficulties, a breakout session of the European Silk Road Summit heard. Andreas Schwilling, Senior Advisor at ...
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NewsSpace engineers rethink rail freight with autonomous battery-electric vehicles
Prototype autonomous battery-powered container wagons are being developed by engineers at California start up Parallel Systems. Co-founder, CEO and former SpaceX engineer Matt Soule explains how the company aims to bring new thinking to rail freight.
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NewsIce-free shipping route could open opportunities for rail
INTERNATIONAL: Year-round ice-free access to north Russian ports and investments in the trans-Siberian rail corridor offer opportunities for the further development of rail freight, Yulia Kosolapova, Managing Director of RZD Logistics in Europe, told the European Silk Road Summit. She said the volume of inter-continental rail ...
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NewsFormula 1 technology company to support development of battery train
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Metals Group’s green technology division Fortescue Future Industries is developing what it says is a ‘world leading’ battery electric train concept. The project was disclosed on January 24 when Fortescue announced it had agreed to acquire UK-based motorsports technology company Williams Advanced Engineering, saying ...
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In depthMoldova: Looking to a better future
With European investment being channelled into infrastructure and rolling stock renewals, plans are in place for structural reform of Moldova’s state-owned railway. Toma Bačić investigates.