Freight news – Page 146
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NewsDrax unveils high-volume biomass wagon
UK: Power station operator Drax unveiled what it says is the UK's first purpose-built biomass wagon on July 25. Designed by Lloyd's Register Rail and manufactured by WH Davis, the vehicle has a capacity of 116 m3, which Drax says is almost 30% more than other UK wagons. Drax has ...
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NewsPurpose-built depot for potash wagons
CANADA: Potash exporter Canpotex opened a C$60m wagon maintenance depot near Lanigan in Saskatchewan during June. The company said the purpose-built facility would give it greater control of maintenance, helping to enhance the performance of its fleet of 5000 wagons. The depot features all-weather inspection, light repair and wheel maintenance ...
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NewsUnilever launches ice cream train
ITALY: Unilever launched Green Express on July 5, a dedicated train running three times a week between its Algida ice cream factory in Caivano near Napoli and a logistics hub 700 km away in Parma. Unilever expects the train to take 3 500 lorries off the road each year, ...
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NewsSafety directive responds to Lac-Mégantic fireball tragedy
CANADA: An emergency directive setting new rules for handling dangerous goods by rail was issued by Transport Canada on July 23. This followed the runaway of an unattended train carrying crude oil in the early hours of July 6, leading to a derailment in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Québec, 240 ...
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NewsChinese loans to fund locomotives and electrification in Belarus
BELARUS: An order for electric locomotives and a loan to fund railway electrification were among the agreements signed during President Lukashenko's official visit to Beijing in July. The state-owned Export-Import Bank of China is to provide a loan to cover 85% of the US$116·9m cost of the 18 locomotives, which ...
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NewsLegios wins Turkish tank wagon order
TURKEY: Czech rolling stock manufacturer Legios has announced a contract to supply 100 light oil tank wagons to Turkish refining company Tüpras. Delivery is scheduled for later this year. The KC600m contract includes an option for further deliveries in 2014 which Legios said would 'significantly' increase the overall volume of ...
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NewsZSSK Cargo restructuring approved
SLOVAKIA: The government approved the Ministry of Transport's proposals for the restructuring and part-privatisation of ZSSK Cargo on July 10. The national freight operator has been hard hit by the economic downturn and the slump in Slovakia's steel industry, making a loss of €24m in 2012 compared to just €0·3m ...
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NewsRENFE sells business shareholdings
SPAIN: RENFE has sold its 22·5% stake in intermodal operator Combiberia to the six other shareholders for €240 000, and its 24·5% holding in port logistics company Depot TMZ for €238 000. As well as its 49% stake in Tarvia, the Spanish national operator has sold for €500 000 ...
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NewsWestern Dedicated Freight Corridor contract awarded
INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India Ltd has awarded a consortium of Larsen & Toubro and Japan’s Sojitz a 66·7bn contract covering civil and track works, freight terminals and bridges on the 626 km Rewari – Iqbalgarh section of the 1 483 km Western DFC, which will link Delhi ...
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NewsJoint Eurasian freight operator agreed
INTERNATIONAL: The national railways of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have signed an agreement to establish United Transport & Logistics Co, a jointly-owned company which would provide intermodal services within the three countries’ Common Economic Space, including transit routes between Europe and Asia. Once government approval is obtained for the plan, ...
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NewsDB joint venture to operate Etihad Rail freight trains
UAE: An agreement to create a joint venture to operate the rail network under construction in the United Arab Emirates was signed by Etihad Rail Vice-Chairman Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer and DB Schenker Rail CEO Alexander Hedderich on June 27. The first freight trains carrying granulated sulphur on the 266 ...
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NewsCSR Qishuyan to supply 20 locomotives to Thailand
THAILAND: State Railway of Thailand signed a contract for CSR Qishuyan to supply 20 locomotives on June 25. The metre-gauge diesel-electric locomotives with AC traction equipment are scheduled to be delivered in 2015 for use on freight trains as part of a 'hub and spoke' intermodal distribution model which is ...
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NewsBDZ freight privatisation called off
BULGARIA: In agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, on June 20 the Privatisation & Post-Privatisation Control Agency announced it was suspending plans to sell a 100% stake in the national railway's freight division BDZ Tovarnni Prevosi. BDZ's holding company had been unable to tell the privatisation agency when ...
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NewsGrup Feroviar Roman is sole bidder for CFR Marfa
ROMANIA: After two other pre-qualified bidders withdrew, Grup Feroviar Roman was the sole bidder for Romanian national freight operator CFR Marfa by the June 20 deadline. Transport Minister Relu Fenechiu said GFR would pay €202m for a 51% stake, however there were still details to be finalised before the ...
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NewsEuropean Commission seeks changes to Channel Tunnel regulation
EUROPE: On June 20 the European Commission formally requested that France and the UK 'comply with EU rules against excessive track access charges for passenger and freight trains in the Channel Tunnel'. The Commission claims the countries have failed to comply with the requirements of the First Railway Package, ...
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NewsFreightliner Group announces acquisition of ERS Railways
EUROPE: Freightliner Group announced that it is to acquire ERS Railways from Maersk Line on June 19. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval. A long-term contract has been agreed for ERS to continue to provide services for the shipping line. Rotterdam-headquartered ERS was ...
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NewsEIB funds new freight fleet for Lithuania
LITHUANIA: The European Investment Bank has signed an agreement to lend Lithuanian Railways €50m to fund the acquisition of 590 wagons, comprising 200 flat wagons, 150 tank cars, 140 open wagons and 100 covered vehicles. The loan will also be used to finance six electric multiple-units and three DMUs. ‘We ...
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NewsDB Schenker introduces freight shuttle to Turkey
EUROPE: DB Schenker Rail is to introduce an intensive freight service between Germany and Turkey from September 2013, its Chairman Alexander Hedderich announced at the Transport Logistik event in München on June 5. Termed ‘Bosporus Shuttle’, the service will initially comprise three trains each way per week between terminals in ...
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NewsERS is first customer for AAE’s Twin II pocket wagon
EUROPE: Wagon leasing company AAE announced on June 6 that open access freight operator ERS Railways had become the first major customer for its Twin II intermodal wagon. AAE CEO Karsten Sachsenröder and ERS Railways Managing Director Frank Schuhholz sealed a long-term contract covering the lease of 50 twin-unit wagons ...
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NewsTransnet to expand heavy haul operations
SOUTH AFRICA: State-owned transport group Transnet has confirmed plans to develop a third heavy haul rail corridor to serve a new deep-water port at Ngqura near Port Elizabeth, in addition to its existing Sishen – Saldanha iron ore line and the Coallink corridor serving Richards Bay. Transnet Freight Rail is ...