News from the world rail freight market.
ELL Polska Asset has taken delivery of the first of two Siemens Mobility Vectron MS electric locomotives ordered with co-financing from the Polish government’s Centre for EU Transport Projects under a programme to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of intermodal transport. The locos will be approved for use in Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Croatia, and will be used by Bahnoperator Group primarily on flows connecting Asia with intermodal terminals in Italy.
New customer DPB Rail Infra Service has signed a full-service leasing agreement for European Loc Pool to provide two Stadler EuroDual electro-diesel locomotives for use on Austrian and international routes from in mid-2026. ‘This allows us to react flexibly to different operating conditions and to cover new business areas that were previously not economically viable’, said Niklas Bisenberger, Head of Rail at DPB. ‘It is approximately 1·5 times more powerful than a Vectron, which enables its use on demanding routes. When deployed strategically, it significantly increases our competitiveness and opens up new market opportunities.’
The local subsidiary of DPB Rail Infra Service received a license to operate rail freight services in Croatia on October 10, and is preparing for certification under Regulation (EU) 2018/762. The Austrian company said it expanding its international network and strengthening its presence in southeast Europe, saying ‘the goal is to make rail transport in the region safe, efficient and reliable.’
GATX Rail Europe has supplied ENNA Transport with new and existing Sggrs(s) container wagons for use on intermodal connections between Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
Leasing company Alpha Trains has signed an extension of the global service agreement for Alstom to provide full-service maintenance of its Traxx locomotive fleet. The agreement as originally signed in 2021 for a duration of eight years, the agreement has now been extended for another 10 years and until 2039. It covers more than 100 Traxx locomotives operating across western and central Europe.
EBRD is considering the provision of a sovereign loan of up to €20·9m to North Macedonia to enable the national railway operator to finance the general overhaul of existing locomotives and procurement of new electric locomotives to be used for freight transport..
GB Railfreight has received Authorisation for Placing Into Service from UK regulator the Office of Rail & Road for its Stadler Class 99 electro-diesel locomotives ordered through Beacon Rail. The Class 99’s first revenue generating service is expected to run in early 2026.
The Port of Göteborg reports that the number of containers transported to and from the port by rail increased by 4% to 393 000 TEU during the first three quarters of 2025, heading for record year. It said more than 60% of all container traffic to and from the port is transported by rail, and growth is being driven by rail shuttles to and from northern Sweden, hinterland regions and the Stockholm area.
Hitachi Rail is to supply signalling and telecoms for a 2·5 km freight-only branch which is being built so that freight trains to the inland river port in Sevilla do not need to reverse at suburban stations. The scope includes track circuits, axle counters and point machines. The local operations centre and centralised traffic control at Seville Santa Justa will undergo modifications including software updates to the interlocking systems.
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group freight trains have begun using the 130 km Koralmbahn between Graz and Klagenfurt ahead of the launch of passenger services on December 14. This ‘marks the beginning of a new chapter for rail freight in Austria’, said CEO Clemens Först. ‘We can offer our customers shorter transport times and greater capacity for climate-friendly logistics.’
Lineas has appointed Els Neirynck as Chief Financial Officer; she takes up the position on November 17. She has held CFO roles in several international and private equity-backed companies, where she led transformation and performance improvement programmes, and is an independent non-executive director of Elia Transmission Belgium.