Containers (Photo: Deutsche Bahn).

The Cádiz port authority has appointed Consultrans to develop plans for a railway link to a new container terminal.

Acron Group‘s North-Western Phosphorous Co has awarded PSK-Remput and Trest-2 contracts totalling 4·5bn roubles to build a total of 50 km of track as part of a 37·7 route-km line to connect an apatite-nepheline ore loading facility at Oleniy Ruchey with the rail network at Aikuven. This will replace road haulage, increasing capacity and reducing transport costs.

DB Cargo UK has been awarded a three-year contract by Gulf Aviation to move aviation fuel from Grangemouth refinery in Scotland to Derby. Gulf is part of Certas Energy, which already moves fuel from Grangemouth to Fort William and Lairg on DB Cargo services.

Belintertrans Transport-Logistics Center has launched a regular intermodal container service between Lanzhou in China and Kolyadichi in Belarus, the first train on September 15 carrying 63 loaded containers. Transit time via Kazakhstan and Russia is 10 days.

Intermodal operator Contargo AG has increased the frequency of its rail services from the Basel area, now operating six times a week to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and three times a week to Antwerpen in Belgium. As well as a terminal at Basel in Switzerland, the Contargo South alliance includes terminals at Ottmarsheim and Strasbourg in France and Weil am Rhein in Germany.