News from the world rail freight market.
Captrain, Duisport and Dortmunder Hafen are to form a 45:45:10 joint venture to build a combined transport terminal in Dortmund’s Westfalenhütte Logistics Park. To be developed on an unused 150 000 m² site belonging to the Dortmunder Eisenbahn subsidiary of Captrain and Dortmunder Hafen, it will have four 400 m long tracks, a gantry crane and reach stacker. Completion is currently targeted for the end of 2027 at the earliest.
Siemens Mobility has received type authorisation from the European Union Agency for Railways for the upgrade of its interoperable Eurosprinter ES64F4 locomotives ES64F4 to Atlas ETCS with Baseline 3.4. Siemens said approval marks a major milestone in securing the long-term deployment of the locomotive fleet on key European freight corridors. More than 250 of the locos have units have been delivered since the early 2000s, and they can be used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Aurizon has entered into an agreement to use the SCT Logistics terminal at Bromelton, south of Brisbane to mitigate the effects of disruption caused by works for the Cross River Rail project. SCT will also provide a ‘hook & pull’ arrangement for Aurizon trains to and from the terminal.
On November 5 UK operator Direct Rail Services launched a 7½ week trial of a service from Daventry to Coatbridge hauled by Class 88 locomotives. ‘This new service is a fantastic opportunity for those who have considered rail but are yet to make the switch from road’, said Gottfried Eymer, Managing Director for Rail at parent company NTS. ‘The unique feature of this train is that it is made up of goods from multiple customers, making it ideal for businesses that would like to benefit from rail but lack the volumes to justify their own train.’
European Parliament and Council negotiators have reached a preliminary agreement on a single EU methodology for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from transport services to help users make informed choices and reduce the risk of greenwashing. The agreement covers from vehicle use and energy provision during transport operations, and prioritises the use of primary data over estimates or default values, while providing incentives for operators that measure their emissions directly. The Commission will assess the possibility of expanding the methodology to include life-cycle emissions from vehicle manufacturing, energy production, maintenance, use and end-of-life.
Anacostia’s Northern Lines Railway has joined BNSF’s Shortline Select programme which was launched in 2024 to combine short line customised service with BNSF’s network reach. In the programme’s first year it has supported improved service performance by reducing wagon dwell, improving interchange fluidity and growing traffic volume across participating short railways.
Ralph Goldney of Railfreight Consulting was formally elected to the board of the UK Rail Freight Group at its annual general meeting on November 12. Richard Hastings, Head of Logistics at Nestlé UK & Ireland, was re-elected. RFG Director General Maggie Simpson said ‘they each bring a great deal of experience, expertise and new perspectives on the rail freight sector. Their insights will be invaluable as we continue to make the case for rail freight growth.’ Simon Blake of Holcim stood down from the board.
Lithuania’s LTG Cargo has merged its Service Sales & Development and Intermodality divisions to for more efficient management, creating a Sales & Intermodality Development division headed by Mindaugas Skunčikas. An International Business Development division is also to be formed. ‘Last year, LTG Cargo’s share of local transport grew by 4·4%, accounting for 62% of all freight transported by rail’, said LTG Cargo CEO Eglė Šimė. ‘This shows that we are a reliable partner for business and that it is easy to work with us. We are continuing to diversify our business towards the west and aim to become leaders in the north-south corridor. We expect the head of the new division to attract new customers and cargo, strengthen relationships with existing customers in both the intermodal and bulk cargo segments, and create effective, customer-focused services.’
OmniTRAX has appointed Nathan Brown to the new role of Chief Strategy Officer. He previously led OmniTRAX’s corporate development, research and railway real estate teams. ‘OmniTRAX has experienced an unparalleled growth rate of 50% in the past five years, and network growth has played a pivotal role in that process’, said Co-CEO Colby Tanner on November 6. ‘Under Nathan’s leadership, our research and acquisition functions have enabled OmniTRAX to make strategic investments that have broadened our network and accelerated our growth. Nathan’s leadership in those areas is perfectly aligned to help shape our enterprise-wide growth strategy.’