Spanish safety agency AESF has granted COMSA a Single Safety Certificate which, together with a Railway Company License obtained at the beginning of 2024, allows it to provide rail freight services on the General Interest Railway Network. This will allow COMSA to move its track machinery more efficiently and quickly between worksites.
To handle growing north-south transit freight traffic, Azerbaijan’s national railway ADY has announced a US$26m order for CRRC Ziyang to supply seven AC50 diesel freight locomotives and spare parts. An order for 14 more is planned.
BELog Baustoffe-Entsorgung-Logistik has leased a fourth Stadler EuroDual electro-diesel locomotive from European Loc Pool for use on construction material and waste logistics trains between central and southern Germany. ‘The flexibility of this locomotive is a key element of our success’, said BELog Managing Director Timo Pape. ‘It allows us to operate efficiently and independently — even in remote regions, on heavily trafficked routes, or during infrastructure-related detours.’
Parallel Systems has secured Federal Railroad Administration approval for a commercial pilot of its autonomous battery-electric rail technology along a 260 km section of Genesee & Wyoming tracks serving the port of Savannah. It has also closed a $38m Series B funding round led by Anthos Capital and including Collaborative Fund, Congruent Ventures, Riot Ventures and others. So far Parallel Systems has raised $100m in funding, with the latest round to be used for commercialisation of its technology in the USA and Australia. It expects to launch initial commercial operations by 2026.
Kazakhstan’s KTZ Express has organised a international delivery service to Belgium including first and last mile road transport. The first shipment comprised 68 containers of molybdenum concentrate.
Cando Rail & Terminals Chief Commercial Officer Steve Bromley is to retire by the end of 2025, with his role to be split. The company is looking to appoint a new CCO, while Paul Duncan has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer leading the Service Delivery and Infrastructure divisions. Duncan was previously Norfolk Southern’s EVP & Chief Operating Officer and spent more than 19 years at BNSF.
Leasing company Alpha Trains has entered into long-term full-service agreements with Alstom and Siemens Mobility in Sweden. The agreements include preventive and corrective maintenance of Traxx and Vectron locomotives, spare parts management, guaranteed availability and continuous monitoring to reduce downtime and optimise operations.
Anacostia Rail Holdings has appointed KE (Kirk) Bedford as Vice-President of the New York & Atlantic Railway, which operates freight trains on lines owned by Long Island Rail Road. He began his rail career with Union Pacific, was General Manager at Genesee & Wyoming and most recently Assistant General Manager at Gary Railway.
Insight Dynamic Resources and ALG Global Infrastructure Advisors have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an implementation roadmap for a US$400bn ‘Gas-by-Rail Economic Corridor Initiative’. This envisions the creation of a 73 500 km transcontinental freight railway connecting 40 Sub-Saharan African countries and linking coastal natural gas resources to inland destinations.
Dirk Steffes has been appointed Chief Sales Officer at TX Logistik. He was previously CSO and Deputy CEO from 2011-13, and rejoins from US company Radia Inc where he was General Manager Europe. His other roles have included COO of Mitsui Group’s rail vehicle leasing business in Europe and Head of Intermodal at DB Cargo.