The inaugural international freight train on the new railway in Laos carried light commercial trucks, nuts, motorcycle parts, chemical products and other goods from the Chengdu International Railway Port and the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park to Vientiane. Sinotruk Chengdu Commercial Vehicle previously had to arrange for drivers to directly drive products from Chengdu to Vientiane, taking 10 days by road compared to three by rail. ‘Rail transport not only considerably reduces labour costs and saves time, but the new option is also safer and more reliable, in addition to other benefits such as freight protection that can better preserve product integrity’, said a company spokesperson.
DB subsidiary Mitteldeutsche Eisenbahn has agreed to lease a further two Stadler EuroDual locos from European Loc Pool, taking its fleet to five from Q2 2022.
Transmashholding has delivered four 2TE25K2M main line freight diesel locomotives and three TEM18DM shunting locomotives to Ulanbaatar Railway in Mongolia under a contract placed in 2019; two of the shunters are 1 435 mm gauge, the other locos are 1 520 mm gauge.
CargoNet operated a train carrying 20 semitrailers containing salmon from Narvik to Padborg on December 3-5. A weekly serves is planned, departing on Friday , with three weekly departures planned from September 2022 and an increase to five trips per week planned subject to demand.
ÖBB’s Czech subsidiary Rail Cargo Carrier has begun using an EffiShunter 1000M locomotive leased from Unicredit Leasing CZ.
Union Pacific has published its first comprehensive climate action plan, setting out aims to improve operational efficiency and minimise fuel consumption with a more efficient locomotive fleet and energy management technology; retire older and less efficient locomotives; implement an energy management system; promote rail as the environmentally preferable transport option; increase the use of low-carbon fuels and alternative propulsion methods; increase the percentage of low-carbon fuels consumed to 10% of total diesel consumption by 2025 and 20% by 2030; develop specifications for a battery-electric shunting locomotive; participate in policy development with the Association of American Railroads on climate change and sustainability.