Freight news – Page 149
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NewsGovernment backs 113 km Budapest freight bypass
HUNGARY: The government has given its backing to a proposed 113 km freight-only bypass around the south of Budapest, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs & External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó announced on February 27. The V0 proposal developed by logistics association MLSZKSZ is intended to significantly accelerate east-west freight movements ...
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NewsTitagarh-FreightCar wagon joint venture wound up
INDIA: The Titagarh-FreightCar joint venture which aimed to bring US wagon technology to the Indian market is being wound up, Titagarh Wagons and FreightCar America confirmed on February 22. The joint venture was formed following a 2008 agreement between the partners, with the Indian firm holding a 49% stake. Work ...
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NewsUnprecedented demand for tanks
GATX: ‘The North American rail market remains strong due to unprecedented demand for tank cars’, said GATX President & CEO Brian A Kenney when announcing the company’s 2012 results on January 24. ‘In 2012, we capitalised on the favourable market conditions by increasing lease rates while successfully stretching lease ...
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NewsA vision of rail in 2050
EUROPE: A high-level vision of the future shape of rail transport was officially launched at the European Rail Awards in Brussels on February 26, hosted by CER and UNIFE. Entitled ‘Challenge 2050’, the pan-sector study outlines the rail sector’s ‘shared perception’ of what Europe’s railways could look like in the ...
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NewsQube orders CSR Ziyang locomotives
AUSTRALIA: Qube Logistics has ordered six diesel locomotives from Chinese supplier CSR Ziyang. The contract was signed in Sydney on January 31, with advance payment received by the manufacturer in February and delivery expected by the end of this year. Qube has secured several new rail freight contracts, and expects ...
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NewsNewRail introduces Rail Freight & Logistics course
UK: Following surveys undertaken under the EU-funded RiFLE project, NewRail, the railway research centre at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has identified a looming skills gap in the rail freight and logistics market as the range of specialist academic courses fails to keep pace with recruitment levels in the sector. NewRail ...
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NewsInRail begins operating in Slovenia
EUROPE: InRail has begun operating cross-border freight services between Nova Gorica in Slovenia and destinations in Italy, making it the second Italian rail company approved to operate in Slovenia after Trenitalia. InRail was formed in 2009 and now operates around 80 trains/week, mainly carrying metals, timber and coal. Its ...
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NewsPKP Cargo takes modernisation work in-house
POLAND: PKP Cargo is to bring its locomotive and wagon modernisation activities in-house with effect from April 1, with the aim of increasing productivity, reducing the company’s dependence on outside contractors and eliminating the time it spends undertaking tendering procedures. Two years ago the state-owned freight operator decided to bring ...
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NewsWatco acquires Ann Arbor Railroad
USA: The Watco Railroad short line group completed the purchase of Ann Arbor Railroad Inc with effect from January 26, following Surface Transportation Board approval. The 80 km line connecting Ann Arbor, Michigan with Toledo, Ohio, serves manufacturing and automotive customers including Chrysler, General Motors and Ford. It connects with ...
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NewsPakistan Railways orders 50 locomotives
PAKISTAN: Chinese locomotive manufacturer CSR Ziyang announced on February 4 that it had received of letters of credit enabling it to go ahead with the construction of 50 passenger and freight locomotives ordered by Pakistan's Ministry of Railways in December at a cost of 640m yuan. Half of the 50 ...
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NewsBelgrano Railway returns to state control
ARGENTINA: By means of a ministerial resolution published on February 5, the federal government has formally terminated the contract held by a consortium of businesses and trade unions to operate freight services on the metre-gauge Belgrano network. The consortium had been operating freight trains on an ‘emergency’ basis under the ...
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NewsCN to invest C$1·9bn in 2013
CANADA: Canadian National announced a 2013 capital investment programme worth C$1·9bn on February 5, an increase on the C$1·8bn spent during 2012. More than C$1bn is allocated for infrastructure works, with projects including siding extensions in northern British Columbia, Alberta and northern Ontario, double tracking in Saskatchewan and adding signals ...
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NewsONCF locomotives on test
MOROCCO: The first four of 20 NGT26CW-3wNFORCE diesel locomotives ordered by Moroccan national railway ONCF last year were on test in Croatia during January. The 3 300 BHP Co-Co freight locomotives have been assembled by TŽV Gredelj as subcontractor to US firm National Railway Equipment Co. They are powered by ...
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NewsNS opens third Crescent Corridor intermodal terminal
USA: Norfolk Southern officially opened its $97m Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility at Greencastle, Pennsylvania, on January 21. Intended as a major gateway for freight in the Mid-Atlantic region, the terminal is located north of Hagerstown, adjacent to the Interstate 81 corridor linking central Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northern Virginia. ...
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NewsDirect Rail Services reveals Class 68 design
UK: Freight and charter train operator Direct Rail Services has unveiled the design of its future UKLight mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives. Vossloh España is building 15 locomotives in Valencia under a contract announced in January 2012, with deliveries scheduled to begin towards the end of this year. To ...
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NewsNorfolk Southern plans $2bn investment programme in 2013
USA: A $2bn investment programme for 2013 was announced by Norfolk Southern on January 28. 'Our capital plan will maintain the safety and quality of our existing franchise, improve service quality and performance, achieve operational efficiencies and productivity improvements and support business growth,' said CEO Wick Moorman. The largest expenditure ...
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NewsChinese shunting locomotive assembled in Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN: The first TEM-KZ shunting locomotive assembled by Kamkor Locomotive's Shu repair plant using components supplied by CSR Ziyang was unveiled last month. National railway KTZ and CSR signed a strategic partnership agreement in May 2012, and 14 Kamkor staff travelled to China for training. A locomotive production joint ...
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NewsCompliance Verification Clause unlocks the Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: Proposals to ensure open and transparent infrastructure management have been incorporated into the draft Fourth Railway Package, which was finally unveiled by the European Commission on January 30. The ‘comprehensive package of measures to deliver better quality and more choice in railway services’ had been delayed for several months ...
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NewsSiemens Vectron tested in the Channel Tunnel
EUROPE: A Siemens Vectron AC electric locomotive was tested in the Channel Tunnel on the night of January 25-26. The aim was to test compatibility with Channel Tunnel systems and safety rules, as Eurotunnel hopes that open-access freight operators will be able to use conventional TSI-compliant four-axle locomotives rather ...
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NewsDedicated Freight Corridor construction contract awarded
INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India Ltd has awarded the first major contract for construction of the Eastern DFC, an electrified high-capacity freight route suitable for speeds of 100 km/h and 32·5 tonne axleloads which is being developed to ease congestion on the Delhi - Kolkata axis. A joint ...