Freight news – Page 129
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News
High capacity log wagon lease signed
RUSSIA: Eurosib SPb-Transport Systems has signed an agreement to lease up to 1 000 log wagons of a new design developed by United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant. The Type 13-6852 wagon ‘is unique in its technical and economic features for the Russian market,’ UWC Deputy CEO for Strategic Sales ...
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India invests to boost coal haulage
INDIA: The Ministry of Coal plans to invest in 60 new railway lines and buy 200 rakes of wagons, Coal Secretary Anil Swarup announced in New Delhi on July 15. State-owned Coal India Ltd is expected to increase annual production from 494 million tonnes to 1 billion tonnes by ...
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Beacon Rail Leasing buys 27 MRCE locomotives
EUROPE: Beacon Rail Leasing has bought 17 EMD Class 66 and 10 Siemens Eurorunner ER20 diesel locomotives from Mitsui Rail Capital Europe. The locomotives are between eight and 12 years old, and are used by various freight operators in continental European under existing lease agreements which are to remain ...
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BNSF Logistics buys wind turbine transport specialist
USA: BNSF Logistics has acquired Transportation Technology Services, a Texas-based company which provides engineering and logistics services for the transport of over-sized loads by rail with a particular focus on wind turbine components. TTS manages a fleet of almost 2 000 wagons for various customers, with 1 200 having ...
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Funding arrives for Belgrano upgrade
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on July 10 that state-owned company Belgrano Cargas & Logística had received US$9m to fund work to upgrade infrastructure in the provinces of Santa Fe, San Juan and Jujuy. This was the first tranche of the U$1⋅23bn that is being ...
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Port link opened under non-government railway policy
INDIA: What the Ministry of Railways says is the first line to be built using independent finance under the non-government railway policy announced in 2012 was officially opened on July 14, when Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu used teleconferencing facilities to flag off the inaugural train. The 1 676 mm ...
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Freight operators fined €49m for operating cartel
EUROPE: The European Commission has fined subsidiaries of Austrian Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn €17·4m and €31·8m respectively for operating a cartel in the block train sector between July 2004 and June 2012. Kühne+Nagel was also part of the cartel with the Express Interfracht and Schenker businesses, but was ...
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BNDES funds locomotive orders
BRAZIL: Federal development bank BNDES has announced that it is to provide R$70⋅5m to finance the purchase of 19 AC44i locomotives from GE Transportation. To be provided via Banco Alfa Investimento SA, the funding will meet 50% of the total cost of 12 locomotives being acquired by freight operator VLI ...
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CP Carga and EMEF bidders announced
PORTUGAL: Meeting on July 9, the cabinet gave its approval for negotiations to start with three of the four bidders for CP Carga, the freight business of the national train operator. The three bidders are Atena Equity Partners, Cofihold and Mediterranean Shipping Company Rail (Portugal) Operadores Ferroviários SA, the latter ...
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Pesa to supply two more Gama Marathon locomotives
POLAND: Pesa signed an agreement to supply two more Gama Marathon locomotives to leasing company PHU Lokomotiv on July 8, taking its fleet to three. PHU Lokomotiv leased the first Gama Marathon to private freight operator Ecco Rail. After three months of testing, Ecco Rail says that it would ...
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Serbian railway restructuring approved
SERBIA: State railway company Železnice Srbije is scheduled to be restructured with effect from July 15, after government approval was granted on July 2 for the implementation of plans which were finalised in May. The restructuring will create four businesses: ŽS Holding, ŽS Infrastructure which will be responsible for managing ...
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Caspian Sea port link opened
KAZAKHSTAN: President Nursultan Nazarbayev used teleconferencing facilities to formally open the Borzhakty – Ersai railway on July 2. The 13·9 km branch from the Aktau – Uzen line will serve a port which is being developed on the Caspian Sea near Kuryk. Construction of the line including the ...
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Chinese manufacturer invests in US wagon venture
USA: China’s CRRC Corp has taken a minority stake in a joint venture formed by start-up Vertex Rail Technologies and private equity partners to manufacture wagons in Wilmington, North Carolina. Vertex Railcar Corp plans to produce ‘innovative’ tank cars branded Generation Next which would meet the DOT-117 safety standards ...
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Brookfield submits proposal for Asciano acquisition
AUSTRALIA: Port and logistics company Asciano, owner of rail freight operator Pacific National, confirmed on July 1 that Canadian utility, transport and energy asset investor Brookfield Infrastructure Group had made an indicative non-binding proposal to acquire 100% of its shares. Brookfield manages a 5 100 km freight network in ...
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PKP Cargo and Greenbrier agree to produce wagons in Szczecin
POLAND: A letter of intent for the joint production of wagons in Szczecin was signed by freight operator PKP Cargo and rolling stock manufacturer Greenbrier Europe Wagony Świdnica on July 1. PKP Cargo is to invest 11·5m złoty to start production at the Szczecin wagon repair workshops which are ...
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Rhenus Group to take 50% stake in LTE
EUROPE: International logistics group Rhenus announced on July 2 that it had signed an agreement to acquire a 50% stake in LTE Logistik- und Transport from Graz-Köflacher Bahn & Busbetrieb, subject to European regulatory approval. GKB’s sale of the 50% stake in the rail freight operator will meet a ...
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World Bank agrees third Eastern DFC loan
INDIA: The World Bank board approved a US$650m loan to support the construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor on June 30. The loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction & Development has a seven-year grace period and a maturity of 22 years. The Eastern DFC will run for 1 ...
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Pakistan Railways ‘out of intensive care’
PAKISTAN: Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has said Pakistan Railways is now ‘out of intensive care’. The federal budget for 2015-16 has allocated Rs41bn for PR’s non-staff costs, a business class Karachi – Islamabad passenger service has been launched and freight services to Iran restarted. The 2015-16 budget ...
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Massachusetts buys CSX line
USA: Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced on June 17 that it had completed the acquisition of the 34 km Framingham Secondary Rail Line from CSX Corp for $23m. This is intended to support current freight services and protect the corridor for potential passenger use. The line carries a limited passenger ...
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National Steel Car to supply 700 potash wagons
CANADA: National Steel Car has been awarded a C$70m contract to supply 700 wagons to Canpotex, a marketing and export company which is jointly owned by three potash producers. The wagons will be used to transport potash from Saskatchewan to ports in Canada and the USA. National Steel Car has ...