News from the world rail freight market.
On July 31 President of Tanzania Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan inaugurated the Kwala International Logistics Hub located 90 km from Dar es Salaam, as well as a standard gauge railway block train service from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma and 20 rehabilitated Tanzania Railways Corp metre-gauge wagons.
3i-backed short line group Regional Rail has acquired the Minnesota Commercial Railway from Rebecca Gohmann. The 140 km railway serves the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, with direct connection to four Class I networks and the Twin Cities & Western Railroad. It serves sectors including metals, fuel & oil, chemicals & plastics, food & agriculture and lumber, and owns Commercial Transload of Minnesota which provides warehousing transloading and trucking services. Regional Rail now has 17 lines in nine US states and two Canadian provinces.
The first intermodal train arrived at the Debrecen Intermodal Terminal on July 31, carrying semi-trailers and containers from Budapest. The open-access combined transport terminal is operated by GySEV Cargo.
Union Pacific has officially opened its Kansas City Intermodal Terminal, the fourth intermodal facility it has opened since 2021. The terminal will serve domestic and international containerised shipments of grain, consumer goods, refrigerated products and car parts. UP is to shift its KCIT domestic service from the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility terminal in Long Beach, California, to the City of Industry terminal in southern California.
Rotterdam-based road logistics software company Simply Deliver has merged with Rail-Flow Group, expanding the rail, road and intermodal transport portfolio to provide customers with a seamless experience for managing all-rail and intermodal transport chains. ‘Rail-Flow and Simply Deliver have always complemented each other — rail meets visibility, process meets automation. Now, as one team and one group, we are ready to shape the future of logistics together’, said Osman Akdemir, Co-CEO and co-founder of Rail-Flow and Simply Deliver.
On September 3 Union Pacific will launch an intermodal service from its Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal in California to Chicago’s Global 2 Intermodal Terminal. UP said customers will experience up to 20% faster service compared to current industry offerings between the locations, with three days’ transit. ‘This service will deliver consistent, reliable and truck-competitive transportation, challenging the norms of over-the-road shipping and competing head-to-head with team driver truck services’, said EVP Marketing & Sales Kenny Rocker.
China Railway Container Transport Corp is to join the Middle Corridor Multimodal joint venture formed by the national railways of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia to facilitate reliable and efficient freight services along the Middle Corridor between China and Europe. In 2024 Azerbaijan received 287 block trains from China, rising to 225 in the first seven months of this year alone. It expected to hit more than 400 this year.
BNSF, terminal operator Patriot Rail and the Utah Inland Port Authority officially opened the Class I railway’s intermodal facility in Salt Lake City on July 31. The site 8 km from the international airport will be utilised in conjunction with a new intermodal service between California and Salt Lake City. ‘This is a game changer for Utah’s economy’, said UIPA Chair Abby Osborne. ‘By increasing intermodal capacity and introducing new competition, we’re unlocking more opportunity for Utah manufacturers, shippers and communities.’
India’s Ministry of Railways has awarded Titagarh Rail Systems a Rs3·1bn contract to supply 780 BVCM-C wagons.
The Railway Supply Institute says it is ‘closely monitoring’ the proposed combination of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. ‘We have full confidence in the Surface Transportation Board’s evaluation of the potential impacts of this merger’, said RSI President Jim Riley on August 7. ‘Our industry’s success is tied to a reliable freight rail network that is the preferred modal transportation choice of shippers, and we will continue to monitor the proceedings.’
On August 5 Florida State College at Jacksonville and CSX launched construction of a Hazardous Materials Training Institute at the Fire Academy of the South. This will train first responders and emergency professionals to safely handle rail-related hazmat incidents through hands-on simulations and cutting-edge technology.
On July 25 the South African government approved an additional R48·6bn guarantee for Transnet to ensure that all debt redemptions will be covered over the next five years, and that it maintains sufficient liquidity levels. The government also approved R46·2bn to mitigate the impact of credit downgrades on Transnet’s existing debt.
Chris Starnes has joined Class III operator South Central Florida Express in the new role of Sales, Marketing & Revenue Manager. He was Chief Operating Officer at Gulf & Ohio Railways.