Freight news – Page 132
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NewsInfrastructure renationalisation begins
ARGENTINA: On March 18 Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced that the bill to return the national rail network to state control had begun its progress through the legislature. A new ‘mother’ company, Ferrocarriles Argentinos, would be created to manage access to the network, absorbing federal operating ...
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NewsBaltic–Adriatic freight co-operation agreed
EUROPE: Croatian national freight operator HŽ Cargo and its Polish counterpart PKP Cargo have signed a strategic agreement to co-operate in the Baltic–Adriatic corridor. The two companies plan to develop joint logistics services and expect ‘significant operational synergies’ from improved utilisation of their rolling stock and mutual access to terminals. ...
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NewsEU backs wagon development project
EUROPE: Kiruna Wagon is working with industrial and academic partners to develop a wagon for high axleload freight trains which the Swedish manufacturer believes is ‘likely to become a new standard for future European bulk transport’. The project is being supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research programme, as ...
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NewsSlovak wagon fleet privatised
SLOVAKIA: Ownership of 12 450 wagons is to be transferred from national freight operator ZSSK Cargo to a new joint venture company, Cargo Wagon AS, under the terms of a sale-and-leaseback agreement signed on March 9. ZSSK Cargo will have a 34% stake in Cargo Wagon, while European wagon leasing ...
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NewsVTG posts improved results
EUROPE: Wagon leasing and rail logistics group VTG has announced increased revenue and results for 2014. Turnover was up 4·4% on the previous year to €818m, operating profit up 4·0% to €191m and the board intends to propose a dividend of €0·45, an increase of 7%. The group’s wagon leasing ...
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NewsSNCB Logistics launches Swiss Xpress
EUROPE: Belgian national freight operator SNCB Logistics has launched a fast single wagonload service between Antwerpen and Basel, which has reduced the transit time from seven to four and a half days. SBB Cargo provides feeder services in Switzerland. The Swiss Xpress trains leave the Belgian port on Mondays, ...
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NewsEversholt Rail sells wagon fleet to CIT Group
UK: Rolling stock leasing company Eversholt Rail Group sold its freight wagon fleet to the Nacco (UK) Ltd subsidiary of CIT Group on February 27. The price was not disclosed. The fleet comprises 920 wagons, including container flats, open wagons, coal and aggregate hoppers and autoballasters. Eversholt Rail Group ...
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NewsTransnet finalises locomotive financing deals
SOUTH AFRICA: On March 2 national freight operator Transnet issued an update on the contracts for the supply of 1 064 locomotives which it awarded in March 2014, and announced financing packages worth R13bn for the locos to be supplied by GE and Bombardier. Transnet Group CEO Brian Molefe said ...
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NewsOmniTRAX acquires Peru Rail Line
USA: Short line and terminal operating group OmniTRAX announced on February 23 that its Peru Industrial Railroad subsidiary had agreed to purchase the Peru Rail Line from the City of Peru, Illinois. The price was not disclosed, but local media reports put the figure at $1·25m. The 3 km line ...
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NewsG&W agrees to buy Freightliner Group
INTERNATIONAL: US short line holding group Genesee & Wyoming Inc announced an agreement to buy approximately 95% of the shares of Freightliner Group from Arcapita and other shareholders on February 25. The acquisition is expected to close during the first quarter of 2015. G&W will pay £490m in cash ...
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NewsBritish consortium wins North–South Railway operating partnership contract
SAUDI ARABIA: North–South Railway project promoter Saudi Railway Co has selected a consortium of three UK-based companies to provide management and technical support for the development of passenger and freight services on its network: Serco: prime contractor and technical support for passenger operations;Freightliner Group: freight expertise and support, technical assistance, ...
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NewsBattery-diesel and dual-fuel locos roll out
CHINA: CSR Ziyang has unveiled a 3 000 hp diesel-battery hybrid locomotive rated for use at marshalling yards, and a LNG-fuelled loco for mainline freight use The manufacturer says the hybrid design’s ability to use the battery to store and recover regenerated braking energy can reduce fuel consumption by at ...
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NewsFreight One awarded steel plant rail outsourcing contract
RUSSIA: Steelmaker NLMK Group has appointed Freight One to manage internal logistics at two sites operated by its Long Products Division in the Urals region. Under the pilot outsourcing programme Freight One will manage rail transport and maintenance at the NSMMZ and NLMK Metalware plants using rolling stock leased from ...
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NewsNarrow gauge tipper wagon
RUSSIA: Kambarka Engineering Works has introduced a side-tipping wagon which rides on new design of bogie for narrow gauge railways. The 22 tonne capacity wagon is designed to carry bulk sand, gravel, ballast, salt, ore and coal. It is designed for 750 mm gauge industrial lines, but could ...
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NewsSNCF posts stable results as competitive threats mount
FRANCE: National operator SNCF issued its 2014 financial results on February 12, which highlighted the scale of the competitive threats that the business is facing in its home market. In what the company termed ‘the difficult environment in France’, SNCF reported year-on-year growth in revenue of 1·5% against 0·5% for ...
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NewsRailRunner plans European launch
GERMANY: Pilot operation of RailRunner road-rail services could start in Germany during 2017 if the company succeeds in obtaining certification for its technology from the European Railway Agency. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, RailRunner NA Inc has set up RailRunner Europe in Hamburg to promote the bimodal system in Europe. It ...
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NewsSakhalin diesel locomotive on test
RUSSIA: The first of 32 TG16M locomotives for Russian Railways’ 1 067 mm gauge network on the Pacific island of Sakhalin has begun six months of trial operation. The locomotive was inaugurated with a ceremony at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk which included a blessing by the Archbishop of South Sakhalin. The 100 ...
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NewsPKP Cargo takes over logistics company
POLAND: PKP Cargo has acquired the remaining 44·44% stake in logistics company PS Trade Trans, which has 350 staff, an annual income of 500m złoty, nine terminals and organises rail, road sea and air transport of 10 million tonnes/year, including oversized and heavy cargo, biomass and cereals. ‘Full integration ...
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NewsEBRD sells its stake in PKP Cargo
POLAND: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has sold the 5·1% stake in PKP Cargo which it acquired when 50% minus one share of the national freight operator was offered through an IPO in October 2013. The sale was undertaken through an accelerated bookbuild offering launched after ...
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NewsHigh altitude freight locomotives ordered
CHINA: Following 27 months of in-service testing with two prototypes, at the end of January CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive was awarded a contract to supply a production batch of 80 HXD1C locomotives which will be used to haul heavy freight trains on the 1 000 km Lanzhou – Xining – ...