Freight news – Page 166
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NewsSBB and Hupac to form trans-Alpine freight operator
SWITZERLAND: On July 5 Swiss Federal Railways' freight business SBB Cargo and intermodal operator Hupac announced the formation of a new company to handle block and intermodal trains between Germany and Italy from early 2011. SBB Cargo International aims to optimise capacity and minimise locomotive and crew downtime in ...
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NewsPrivate funds sought for freight
INDIA: Two Ministry of Railways schemes to encourage private sector investment in rail freight capacity came into effect on May 31. Investors can apply for renewable 20-year agreements to establish freight terminals providing value-added logistics services to third parties. Terminals must be on private land, and can handle all traffic ...
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NewsSiemens Vectron locomotive on test
INTERNATIONAL: Fresh from its München assembly plant, a new Siemens multi-system electric locomotive targeted at European operators is being put through its paces at the Wegberg-Wildenrath test centre in Germany. Christened Vectron, the four-axle machine is destined to be one of Siemens' star exhibits at the InnoTrans 2010 event in ...
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NewsPilbara iron ore line approved
AUSTRALIA: Plans to build another 300 km rail link to serve the Pilbara iron ore mining region in Western Australia were approved by the state government on June 24. Premier Colin Barnett said the signing of an agreement with Roy Hill Infrastructure Pty Ltd was ‘a major step forward for ...
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NewsNewag unveils remanufactured shunting locomotive
POLAND: Newag has unveiled a prototype Type 15D shunting locomotive based on a rebuilt Soviet-built TEM2, known as the SM48 in Poland. The underframe, bogies and original traction motors have been retained, but a new generator and 1·5 MW Caterpillar engine fitted to give both more economical operation and ...
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NewsSkoda Class 380 in service
CZECH REPUBLIC: Skoda Transportation's Type 109E triple-voltage 200 km/h locomotives have begun trial operations, starting with No 380.007 which hauled a 100 km/h CD Cargo freight train from Plzen to Beroun on May 27. Initial 160 km/h passenger operations are expected to begin on routes from Praha to Brno and ...
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NewsNS wary of 'schizophrenia' in Washington
USA: 'The economic recovery in our business is well underway', reported Norfolk Southern Chairman, President & CEO Wick Moorman on May 13, addressing the company's Annual Meeting in Williamsburg. Noting that traffic volumes were growing back steadily, he said NS had been able to report financial results for 2009 which ...
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NewsGenesee & Wyoming buys Alice Springs - Darwin operator
AUSTRALIA: US-based short line operator Genesee & Wyoming Inc is to acquire FreightLink, the concessionaire for the 2 240 km Tarcoola - Darwin railway which went into receivership in November 2008. GWI has managed FreightLink's rail services since they began in 2004, and expects to make significant savings by ...
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NewsRail modernisation plans signed at Kazakh investment summit
KAZAKHSTAN: Major supply contracts and rail-sector co-operation memoranda were among the agreements signed at a national investment summit held in Almaty on June 3-4. A €70m contract to design and supply signalling and telecoms for the 293 km Zhetigen - Korgas 'China Gateway' railway was signed by state railway KTZ ...
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NewsEMD sold to Caterpillar
USA: Progress Rail Services announced on June 1 that it had signed a definitive agreement to purchase locomotive builder and diesel engine manufacturer Electro-Motive Diesel Inc for $820m in cash. Although retaining its own identity as a standalone company, EMD is to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of ...
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NewsEurotunnel buys GB Railfreight from FirstGroup
EUROPE: Groupe Eurotunnel’s freight operating subsidiary Europorte has bought UK operator GB Railfreight from FirstGroup for £26∙3m in cash. Announcing the acquisition at a press conference in London on June 1, Eurotunnel Chairman & CEO Jacques Gounon said that the deal was ‘a strategic move to boost ...
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NewsLiberian ore line to spur Guinea revival
AFRICA: A revival of passenger and general freight services on the 662 km Chemins de fer de Guinée line is among commitments the BSG Resources (Guinea) Ltd mining joint venture has made in return for permission from the governments of Guinea and Liberia to build a new iron ore export ...
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NewsČD Cargo back in the black
CZECH REPUBLICH: Reporting results for the four months of 2010, national rail freight operator ČD Cargo announced that its earnings were once again positive, following the losses in 2009 as a result of the economic recession. ČD Cargo achieved EBITDA of KC377m and earnings before tax of KC1m for the ...
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NewsMegaswing for modal shift
SWEDEN: Kockums Industrier is targeting the intermodal freight market by developing a pocket wagon to carry road semitrailers. The Swedish firm believes its Megaswing wagon holds significant potential in a segment where only 3% of semitrailers in the European freight market can be carried by rail. The wagon should ...
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NewsRZD orders 221 locomotives from Siemens-Sinara JV
RUSSIA: Russian Railways and Ural Locomotives signed an order for 221 2ES10 twin-section electric locomotives at the 1520 Strategic Partnership conference in Sochi on May 27. A prototype will be rolled out in 2010 with deliveries beginning in 2011. The value of the contract was not disclosed. The Ural Locomotives ...
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NewsMiners make cash bid for Queensland rail infrastructure
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland Coal Industry Rail Group of 13 mining companies has submitted an unsolicited cash offer to buy QR's Central Queensland rail network from the state government, which is intending to sell up to 75% of QR National as a vertically -integrated railway through an IPO in the last ...
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NewsQR hauls first coal from Moolarben mine
AUSTRALIA: On May 27 QR ran the first of an estimated 17 000 trains it will operate from Felix Resources' new Moolarben coal mine to the Port of Newcastle during an 11½ year haulage contract worth A$870m. QRNational Coal is spending A$190m on locomotives and wagons to support the ...
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News10-year KiwiRail turnaround plan approved
NEW ZEALAND: On May 18 the government gave its backing to KiwiRail's NZ$4·6bn 10-year turn-around plan, providing the long-term commitment needed to retain the network and make rail 'relevant' to freight shippers. The government has allocated NZ$250m this year and agreed to a three-year package worth NZ$750m, subject to individual ...
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NewsChina's rail expansion continues
CHINA: The rapid expansion of the Chinese rail network continues, with a series of significant openings in recent weeks. Two years to the day after a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan province, a 65 km high speed link between Chengdu and Dujiangyan was opened on May 12. The 13bn yuan ...
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NewsFederal funds for faster freight
AUSTRALIA: The 2010-11 Commonwealth budget presented by the government on May 11 allocates A$1bn for capital investment by Australian Rail Track Corp, in addition to A$1·2bn provided under the Nation Building economic stimulus package in 2008. The money will be used on projects which ARTC has identified as being able ...