ISO/IEC 17025-accredited assessor PJM undertook approval testing of Innofreight’s latest wagon design, the 80 ft InnoWaggon Sggns designed for biomass and other light bulk goods. This included fatigue strength testing using a mobile pressure frame at MFL Liezen, buffing impact and static and dynamic tests in St Michael, and acoustic measurements according to TSI NOI 2014/1204/EU. A new device developed by PJM was used for the suspension tests, and the measuring instruments used solar power.
From Q2 2023 CargoBeamer is to offer first and last mile services as an optional add-on to its rail transport of non-craneable semi-trailers. This will be available in northern Italy, western Germany, Benelux, France, northeastern Spain and parts of the UK and Ireland. ‘By adding this drayage service, we are lowering another important barrier that especially held back small and medium-sized freight forwarders from shifting semi-trailers to rail’, said COO Boris Timm. ’An integrated trucking service for virtually all types of semi-trailers lowers the costs of organising intermodal transport significantly and will allow companies with little or no road-to-rail experience to start using CargoBeamer.’
A US wagon supplier is to use Airgain’s NimbeLink asset tracking technology to track and monitor its fleet. NimbeLink combines a cellular backbone with wi-fi and GPS triangulation and multiple sensors including temperature, humidity, tilt, motion, acceleration, with a battery life of up to 14 years.
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group’s services are to be offered on Transporeon’s booking platform, starting with pilot routes between Germany, Austria and Italy. ‘Multimodal transport combining the sustainability of rail freight with the flexibility of trucking on the first and last mile is our best chance at achieving sustainable land transport in Europe’, said RCG CEO Clemens Först. ‘Simplicity and ease of access is paramount for wide-scale adoption.’
Union Pacific has appointed Brian Barr as Senior Vice-President of Transportation with effect from April 15. He has more than 25 years of experience at CSX, most recently as Senior Vice-President of Network Planning & Services.
RENFE Mercancías has called tenders for wagons for use on the future rolling motorway linking Algeciras with Zaragoza. It is seeking 74 Sgnss 60 ft wagons and 75 Sdggmrss wagons for the transport of semitrailers, all of which should be compatible with both 1 668 and 1 435 mm gauge wheelsets. The cost is estimated at €37·9m, to be financed with €14·5m from the EU.
CSX is introducing Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze levels to its Select Site programme which assists companies with locating properties that meet a range of development criteria. ‘The greatest impact of the Select Site programme has been creating a mechanism to assist communities in identifying their best industrial sites and to preserve them for capital-intensive, rail-served manufacturers’, said Jonathan Gemmen of Austin Consulting which supports the programme.