HHLA subsidiary Metrans laid the foundations for a new intermodal terminal at Zalaegerszeg on September 9. To be completed by 2023 at a cost of €40m, the project supported by the Hungarian government is expected to create 120 new jobs. HHLA Chief Executive Angela Titzrath said the group saw strategic potential for the Zalaegerszeg hub to support the expansion of services along the Adriatic Corridor and to southern and southeastern Europe.
German wagon maintenance standard publisher VPI European Rail Service has obtained ISO 9001:2015 certification following an audit by SystemCERT. The VPI-EMG standards are now used by 489 companies, and it also carries out technical assessments of workshops and provides training.
The Australasian Railway Association is to launch its Rail Freight Action Plan on September 15, building on the recommendations of last year’s Rail Freight Executive Committee 2020-22 Strategic Plan. Aims include improving the regulatory environment, promoting investment in rail as an essential service and increase rail freight’s modal share.
Polish infrastructure manager PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe is investing 280m złoty to enhance the movement of rail freight across the country’s eastern border, improving trade between Europe and Asia. Tracks at the Werchrata - Rawa Ruska crossing to Ukraine will be remodelled in 2022-23 to accommodate longer trains with a 25 tonne axleload, while the Siemianówka – Swisłocz crossing will be remodelled to take trains of up to 1 050 m. ‘Thanks to the works on the normal and broad gauge tracks at seven border crossings, the competitiveness of railways will be improved and we will ensure more efficient passage of more trains’, said PKP PLK President Ireneusz Merchel.
Under a plan developed with Dupont Sustainable Solutions, Australian open access operator SCT has taken in-house the maintenance of its Chinese-built CSR class diesel locomotives, creating 36 jobs at Penfield in South Australia and Altona in Victoria and improving fleet availability. ‘We are truly excited about what this initiative means for the SCT business and our customers’, said Managing Director Geoff Smith. ‘Reliability and on-time performance is key to our success.’
Nordrhein-Westfalen is providing Kreisbahn Siegen-Wittgenstein, Westfälische Landeseisenbahn, Mindener Kreisbahnen and local transport authorities with grants totalling €1·7m to support modernisation projects which aim to encourage modal transfer from road to rail.