Lifezone Metals has completed an initial assessment for its Kabanga nickel mining, processing and refining project in Tanzania. Nickel-copper-cobalt concentrate would be transported 348 km by road to the Isaka Dry Port rail terminal, then transferred onto the Standard Gauge Railway, expected to be operational in 2026, for shipment to the Kwala Dry Port and the port of Dar es Salaam.
JB Hunt Transport Services, BNSF Railway and GMXT have launched Quantum de México, an intermodal product offering businesses the ‘consistency, agility and speed’ needed to shift just-in-time freight in Mexico from road to rail. This follows a US counterpart launched by JB Hunt and BNSF in November 2023. The service is designed for >95% on-time delivery rates, up to one day faster than traditional intermodal services, with real-time visibility of shipments. The primary markets served include Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, US west coast and eastern destinations, and Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Norfolk Southern has reinstated freight services on the line from Newport in Tennessee to Asheville in North Carolina which was badly damaged by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. This also enables the restoration of service on Watco’s Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, which feeds into the Class I railway’s Asheville Yard. NS has committed to rebuilding the severely damaged 26 km section of line connecting Old Fort to Grovestone, which is expected to be completed this winter.
Leasing company Akiem has awarded Alstom a five-year Master Service Agreement for the supply of spare parts for 116 Traxx locomotives, with an initial volume of around 200 different spare parts per year. A second contract covers supplies and services for onboard signalling equipment manufactured by Alstom and installed on Traxx locomotives in Akiem’s fleet. The agreement includes remote and on-site support, repair work on defective components and the short-term replacement of defective key components.
Norfolk Southern announced on June 3 that Chairman Claude Mongeau had resigned from the board for personal reasons. The board will elect a new chair at its next scheduled meeting later this month. ‘We are deeply grateful for Claude’s leadership over the past six years’, said NS President & CEO Mark R George. ‘He has put outsized time and effort into his service as the company navigated several challenges, ultimately stepping up as chair last year to successfully integrate our new board. He leaves Norfolk Southern a much stronger railroad than it was when he joined us.’
On June 2 Kazakhstan’s KTZ announced that the 100 000th TEU had been transported from Xi’an along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route since the service from the Chinese city was launched in February 2024. It was carried on a train organised by KTZ, China Railway and Xi’an Port Group carrying 50 containers loaded with electronics, furniture, consumer goods and other products.
The North American Rail Shippers Association officers for 2025–26 are: President Ray Hufnagel, Plastic Express; First Vice-President Torri Stuckey, CSX; Second Vice-President Harry Zander, Intramotev; Treasurer Mona Moorman, Domtar; Secretary Jason Seidl, TD Cowen, (newly appointed); and Kate Bourgeois, Immediate Past President, Mississippi Export Railroad. John Meyers of DM Bowman is leaving the board. Directors are Jeff Moller, Association of American Railroads; Bradon Smith, Fletcher & Sippel; and Todd Tranausky, AmSty (newly appointed).