Ukrainian Railways put the first of 30 TE33A Evolution Series diesel locos being supplied by GE Transportation into service on December 13. ‘Today’s launch of GE locomotives onto the network is a great demonstration of the successful start of our long-term co-operation with our American partners’, said UZ’s acting CEO Yevgen Kravtsov. ‘The delivery timeline remains on schedule, and on our side we are fully prepared to operate and maintain the locomotives. We are planning to continue our co-operation program with GE in 2019.’
Altaivagon has won contracts worth 850m roubles to supply 200 vans to Uzbekistan’s Cotton Logistics and automatic coupling devices to national railway UTY.
Green Cargo has equipped six mail vans with new brake discs which are designed to offer a long life and the ability to be replaced without having to remove the complete wheelset. 'Our hope is that the switch will increase wagon availability and reduce standing time', said Bo Stenback, Head of Wagon Management & Maintenance. The trials are being undertaken in partnership with Chalmers University of Technology which has installed sensors on the vehicles. 'We will monitor the function and how wear affects the discs and the brake lining, for later evaluation', said Stenback. 'If the project is successful, more wagons will have their brake discs gradually replaced with new ones.'
On December 7 UTLC ERA dispatched its 3 000th service of the year, carrying 41 40 ft containers from Nürnberg to Chengdu via the Andrex Logistcis terminal at the Siemianówka/Svisloch crossing between Poland and Belarus and Dostyk in Kazakhstan.
India’s Ministry of Railways has announced a 25% discount on tariffs for the transport of empty containers and flat wagons, in the expectation that this will attract more port traffic from to rail and reduce the price of goods. There are currently 18 private container train operators as well as Concor, the ministry said.
A new CIM/SMGS consignment note for traffic between OTIF and OSJD countries is to enter into force on January 1.
From December 10 the national railways of Belarus, Latvia and Russia began using digital SMGS consignment notes instead of paper documentation for empty private owner wagons moving between the three countries. This follows introduction on the route from Russia to its Kaliningrad exclave transiting Belarus which began using digital transit documents in December 2016.
