Business news from the world rail freight market.
LKAB Malmtrafik has awarded Alstom a 12-year technical support and spares supply agreement covering 34 locomotives used on heavy haul iron ore trains from mines in northern Sweden. The agreement builds on the long-standing collaboration since the IORE locomotives were delivered in 2001, with a TSSSA in place since 2007. Alstom is also modernising the fleet with technical upgrades and the installation of ERTMS.
Volkswagen’s Czech energy company subsidiary ŠKO-Energo has awarded Innofreight a contract to handle more than 400 000 tonnes of containerised biomass per year in Mladá Boleslav. Innofreight said it is increasingly positioning itself as a full-service provider, and will also take over traction services in the future through its stake in the Czech rail operator CityRail, which has been working closely with Innofreight since 2021 and has been part of the group since mid-2025.
Polish cement transport specialist Cemet has ordered four more Newag Dragon 2 locomotives for delivery in 2027-28 at cost of 85m zloty.
FS Logistix and Grimaldi Euromed have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop integrated sea–rail transport services linking Adriatic ports with inland terminals in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. One of the objectives is to establish intermodal links from Ligurian ports to Lombardy and the Triveneto region for freight arriving from Spain and Portugal, while also strengthening transit through the port of Trieste for cargo originating in Turkey and Greece. In the longer term the network could be extended along the northern Tyrrhenian coast and to ports in Spain, as well as to freight flows originating in the Middle and Far East.
CargoServ has signed an agreement for the maintenance of Innofreight wagons to be undertaken at the LogServ workshop in Linz.
To support the development of its future traction strategy, Hector Rail is undertaking extensive tests of a Stadler Eurodual electro-diesel locomotive under realistic conditions, including both heavy transport and demanding topography. The aim is to carefully analyse performance and determine how the locos could contribute to improved efficiency, increased operational reliability and reduced environmental impact.
The Rail Freight Group has published a Freight Forward position paper highlighting the contribution rail freight makes to the UK economy and wider society, and setting out actions needed to unlock future growth. RFG says the future Great British Railways must champion rail freight, particularly in terms of capacity and capability, and this can only be achieved through collaboration among mayoral authorities, devolved and central government bodies and relevant rail-sector stakeholders.
On March 9 FHP Intermodal launched a twice-weekly service connecting its hubs at Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Villa Selva, Foggia and Bari in mainland Italy with Catania in Sicily.
Hamburger Hafen & Logistik reports that its intermodal rail traffic rose 11% year-on-year to 1·7 million TEU in 2025. It said this strong volume growth was largely due to traffic with the North German seaports, as well as traffic in the German-speaking countries. Revenue growth of 12% to €797m was stronger than the increase in transport volumes, with price adjustments and an increase in rail’s share of HHLA’s total intermodal transport volumes from 86·5% to 86·7%.