On January 18 Geodis introduced a thrice-weekly rail service between Noisy-le-Sec in Paris and Novara near Milano, with a capacity of 240 ITUs/week. The service carried swap bodies, box containers and tanks, and included GPS cargo tracking functionality.
Logistics company Schneider is to switch its primary western USA rail shipments from BNSF to Union Pacific from January 2023. ‘When we pair Union Pacific’s transcontinental rail solutions with our company-owned assets and professional drivers, we will be an unstoppable force in the intermodal marketplace’, said Schneider Senior Vice-President & Chief Commercial Officer Jim Filter.
The Lithuanian cabinet has decided that a contract for national railway LG to transport 12 million tonnes/year of fertilisers for Belarusian company Belaruskalij via the port of Klaipeda in 2018-23 does not conform with the country’s national security interests, and as such will be void from February 1.
Anacostia Rail Holdings has bought The Kearney Companies of New Orleans, Louisiana and Kearney Page Warehouse Services of Savannah, Georgia, gaining more than 45 000 m2 of warehousing space and 24 ha of marshalling yards in the port of New Orleans and a 37 000 m2 warehouse in Garden City, Georgia.
Direct Rail Services has signed a three-year agreement with UK supermarket chain Tesco, building on its relationship over the past 10 years. DRS will run services on seven routes: Daventry – Mossend, Mossend – Teesport, Daventry – Tilbury, Tilbury – Coatbridge, Daventry – Wentloog, Daventry – Teesport via Doncaster and Mossend – Inverness.
Turkmenistan is to join OSJD agreements on International Transit Tariffs and Uniform Transit Tariffs with the aim of boosting China – Europe traffic.
From January 10, TFG Transfracht offers six direct rail connections per week between Container Terminal Osnabrück and Hamburg, with traction electricity bought from 100% CO2-free sources.
Maritime Transport added a five days/week service between its Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal and the port of Felixstowe on January 10, hauled by GB Railfreight. This takes Maritime’s services on the route to 17 round trips per week.
The Port 10 Watco Rail Logistics joint venture of Watco, Pontikes Development and McNair Interests, is to build and operate a 400-wagon storage-in-transit yard and warehouse facilities at Baytown, Texas, designed to alleviate congestion. The site is adjacent to Interstate 10 and has direct access to Union Pacific’s Coady Yard. Construction is to begin in February for completion by Q2 2023.