Croatia’s HŽ Cargo has awarded Končar KEV a 14·4m kuna contract to modernise two Class 1141 electric locomotives.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has outlined preliminary concerns with Aurizon’s proposed acquisition of One Rail, and is seeking comment on whether these would be addressed by Aurizon’s proposed divestment of One Rail’s east coast business. ‘By reducing the number of competitors in the supply of coal haulage in New South Wales and Queensland from three to two and removing an important competitor to Pacific National and Aurizon, we have preliminary concerns that the proposed acquisition of One Rail by Aurizon would be likely to substantially lessen competition’, said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb on June 9. ‘We’re also considering the impact of this proposed acquisition on potential future competition in the supply of non-coal bulk rail haulage.’
The European Commission has approved an €8m Slovenian grant scheme running to the end of June 2026 which supports the installation of ETCS equipment to encourage freight modal shift from road to rail and to remove barriers to cross-border interoperability.
Alexander Kornblum has been appointed as Managing Director of CargoBeamer Intermodal Operations GmbH. The former Head of Pricing & Yield Management at Flix and Senior Programme Manager & Head of EU Rail at Amazon succeeds Matthias Schadler, who is leaving CargoBeamer. ‘In my past job at Amazon I had contact with the company and have seen that the CargoBeamer system is essential for scaling intermodal transport in Europe due to its versatility with other road and rail technologies’, Kornblum said.
San Bernardino City Council has certified the Final Environmental Impact Report for a BNSF project to provide a fourth track over two sections totalling 7 km to eliminate bottlenecks approaching the San Bernardino Intermodal Facility. BNSF says idling would be reduced by 43% by the project.
The Railway Supply Institute has called on the US Congress to pass the newly reintroduced HR 7902 Freight Rail Assistance & Investment to Launch Coronavirus-era Activity & Recovery Act. ‘The Freight RAILCAR Act will help improve the safety and efficiency of the North American railcar fleet while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting thousands of manufacturing jobs up and down the supply chain across the United States’, said RSI President Patty Long. ’By incentivising private investments in higher capacity and more fuel efficient railcars, Congress can help the rail industry build a more environmentally friendly fleet.’
Nurminen Logistics announced on June 1 that Olga Stepanova, Vice-President Railway Operations, has stepped down from the management team.
Industrial Realty Group is to reactivate lines which have been out of service for 15 years to provide direct rail access to its Macon Interstate Business Park in Georgia. IRG said this would attract ‘job-creating manufacturers eager to tie into the national network of Norfolk Southern and CSX’.
The North American Rail Shippers Association officers for 2022–23 are President Bruce C Mann, Port Houston; First Vice-President John Meyers, DM Bowman Co; Second Vice-President Kate Luce, Mississippi Export Railroad; Secretary Ray Hufnagel, Plastic Express; Treasurer Torri Stuckey, Head of North America Rail at BP; and Immediate Past President Tom Tisa, CSX.