News from the world rail freight market.
Railport, which co-ordinates all rail activities in the Port of Antwerpen, has awarded Lineas the contracts to provide rail services in its port zones 3, 4, 5 and 6B, in addition to zones 1 and 2 which Lineas won in the previous tender in 2023. ‘Our team carefully aligned tender participation with our broader strategy’, said Ben Nagels, Head of Sales at Lineas. ‘We identified zones where our presence was essential, both to reinforce our existing network and to deliver consistent, high-quality service to our customers.’
Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX say the Southeast Mexico Express east-west corridor launched in December 2024 to connect shippers in Mexico, Texas and the southeast USA is now providing automotive, intermodal and wagonload customers with faster transit times, greater capacity and environmentally sustainable transport options. ‘The Southeast Mexico Express has created new opportunities for our customers across all of our lines of business’, said CPKC President & CEO Keith Creel on July 21. ‘We are leveraging the strengths of both CPKC and CSX, delivering faster transit times, greater efficiency and enhanced reliability.’
The third version of the E5000 series of electric freight locomotives developed Turkey’s state rail vehicle manufacturer Türasaş has entered service. The E5003 locomotive completed its first commercial run with national operator TCDD Taşımcılık, hauling 26 wagons 125 km between Hasanbey, Eskişehir and Sazılar.
Van den Bosch has acquired the remaining 50% stake in Spanish rail freight operator Multirail from Euconsa, making it the sole owner. ‘This step demonstrates our confidence in the development of intermodal railfreight in Spain, and in international connections to and from the rest of Europe’, said Rico Daandels, CEO of the Dutch intermodal operator which had acquired an initial 50% stake in 2022. Multirail operates two return trains a week between Barcelona and Cádiz, with haulage provided by Captrain España. Plans include a Santander to Madrid service, and Van der Bosch has also suggested Madrid to Barcelona and diversifying from block trains to multi-client services.
The government of Turkmenistan has called enders to design and supervise construction of two train ferries, to be financed by the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund and produced at the Balkan Shipbuilding & Repairing Yard in Türkmenbashi.
On July 9 KTZ Express announced the arrival of the first container service by rail and sea from Shanxi Province in China to Azerbaijan via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and the port of Aktau. This comprised 50 containers with photovoltaic equipment dispatched from the Zhongding logistics centre in Jinzhong. ‘The launch of this new route from northern China along the Middle Corridor highlights the growing relevance of TITR as an effective alternative to traditional routes, reinforcing Kazakhstan’s role as a key transit hub in Eurasian logistics’, the operator said.
Turkey’s infrastructure manager has awarded a consortium of REC Uluslararası İnşaat, Ballast Nedam and Heitkamp a TL2·3bn contract to build a 7·2 km double track branch line connecting the Black Sea port and energy terminal at Filyos with the Zonguldak – Kirikkale main line. This will include a 387m long bridge. The project is receiving financial support from the World Bank under its Rail Logistics Improvement Project.
Kazakhstan’s KTZ Express and the UAE’s AD Ports Group have established the GulfLink 49:51 joint venture to develop international multimodal routes through Pakistan, Turkey, Gulf ports and the Indian Ocean, as well as the Middle Corridor. Plans included a grain terminal and multi-purpose freight hub in the Caspian port of Kuryk.