Lineas has expanded its Green Xpress enhanced wagonload freight network with the launch of a Lyon Xpress service linking Lyon and Antwerpen in 16 h, with onward connections to the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Slovakia. Lyon Xpress initially runs twice a week, leaving Lyon on Thursday and Saturday, but is to be expanded to three trains per week during April and five 'as rapidly as possible'.
Hansebahn Bremen has leased a Vossloh G6 and two G1206 locomotives from Northrail for a further three years.
European Rail Rent has awarded Đuro Đaković Specijalna Vozila a 34·5m kuna contract to supply Type Shimmns four-axle steel coil wagons in Q3 2018.
Russian Railways and the governor of Saratov oblast have signed a co-operation agreement for the construction of the 30 km Saratov western freight bypass, which is intended to increase capacity by diverting through traffic away from the city.
VTG Rail UK has begun transporting beer from Padova in Italy to Tilbury near London. Each train comprises 13 Megafret platform wagons with 45 ft shipping containers, which carry empty barrels on the return leg.
Kronospan has order a further 500 Type 13-6852-02 timber wagons from United Wagon Co’s TikhvinSpetsMash subsidiary.
The first freight train arrived at Obltransterminal’s Vostochny intermodal hub in the Noginsk region of Moscow oblast on March 14, carrying 95 containers of consumer goods, industrial equipment and construction materials. The facility is scheduled for completion 2020, which it will be able to handle up to 12 container trains per day.
On March 5 Polish broad gauge operator PKP LHS inaugurated a local control centre in Zamość Bortatycze. The 24·5m złoty facility built by Kombud monitors 47 km of the line.
The Scottish government's rail investment strategy 'is welcome news for those moving goods and services', according to the UK's Freight Transport Association. However, FTA cautioned that 'it is imperative that the Scottish government does not allow rail freight to become the poor relation in investment terms. A funding gap of £460m means that improvements will need to be prioritised, and we are urging Transport Scotland to keep the needs of freight in mind when making decisions about where the money will be spent.'
Rail Cargo Group has begun transporting pallets of bottled beer across the Czech Republic between Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň and the Radegast brewery at Nošovice. This traffic previously went by road.
HS2 Ltd has confirmed that the land occupied by DB Cargo UK’s workshops at Toton near Nottingham will not be required to build High Speed 2. DB Cargo UK’s Chief Executive Hans-Georg Werner said he hoped this would put an end to speculation that the depot would have to be ‘hastily relocated’ to make way for HS2. ‘While the site may have to move to accommodate new economic development associated with the HS2 hub station at some time over the next 15 to 20 years, there is time to work with all interested parties to ensure a holistic approach is taken’, he said on March 22.