Freight news – Page 174
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NewsAlstom hybrid shunter trials begin
NETHERLANDS: A two-month long trial of a hybrid shunting locomotive converted by Alstom began in the port of Rotterdam on April 6. Short-haul and shunting operator Rotterdam Rail Feeding expects to see a 40% reduction in fuel consumption, with a halving of particulate, NOx and CO2 emissions. Noise should ...
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NewsUnion Pacific targets the gaming generation
USA: Union Pacific Railroad is looking to the ‘gamer generation’ to meet the challenge of a changing workforce demographic. The Class I railroad believes that the computer training programmes it has introduced to prepare new starters for work in its marshalling yards will appeal to those who have grown up ...
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NewsGrube nominated to replace Mehdorn
GERMANY:?Rüdiger Grube has been nominated by the federal government to replace Deutsche Bahn’s Chairman & Chief Executive Hartmut Mehdorn, who tendered his resignation on March 30 in the wake of further revelations about the covert surveillance of DB staff. Grube is currently Director of Corporate Development at car manufacturer Daimler, ...
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NewsRDC in French freight venture
FRANCE:?Transport minister Dominique Bussereau announced on March 31 the creation of a joint venture to promote local and wagonload freight services. The company is intended to provide expertise, financial and project planning assistance and operational input to encourage small businesses to transport freight over short distances by rail - the ...
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NewsPacific National for sale
AUSTRALIA: Asciano confirmed on March 16 that it was putting up for sale two of the country’s most recognised transport and logistics brands: Patrick Stevedores and Pacific National. In the face of the global financial crisis, the company plans to sell either the container port business or its rail freight ...
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NewsMehdorn to step down from DB
GERMANY: The controversy over accusations that Deutsche Bahn had undertaken covert surveillance of its own staff claimed its most high profile victim on March 30, when Chairman & CEO Hartmut Mehdorn tendered his resignation. Although by the end of the day Mehdorn’s offer had not been formally accepted, it was ...
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NewsAFRA lobbies for French rail operators
FRANCE: A lobby group to represent new entrants in the French rail sector was formally launched on March 18. Association Française du Rail is intended to bring together 'all the actors who believe that the French railway sector will not achieve its full and sound development without an open competitive ...
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NewsTransnet Class 39-200 locomotive rolls out
SOUTH AFRICA: The first of 50 Class 39-200 diesel locomotives being assembled for Transnet Freight Rail by Electro-Motive Diesel and Transnet Rail Engineering was rolled out of TRE's plant at Koedoespoort on March 23. Designated GT26CU-3, the 3 000 hp Class 39s are the first new diesel locomotives to ...
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NewsHSBC sells continental European fleet
BEACON RAIL: Leasing firm HSBC Rail (UK) Ltd has sold its continental European rail freight assets to Beacon Rail Leasing, a subsidiary of BTMU Capital Corp. HSBC Rail (UK) Chief Executive Mary Kenny said the sale announced on March 24 was 'an important step as part of our strategy to ...
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NewsIberian Link will offer alternative to road
EUROPE: Simultaneous departures from Lisboa and Madrid at 21.00 GMT on March 24 will mark the launch of Iberian Link, a joint CP Carga and RENFE Mercancías freight service connecting three important Portuguese ports with Spain. Iberian Link is the first joint service launched under a wide-ranging cooperation agreement ...
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NewsCorridor X in 35 h
EUROPE: Headed by two gleaming black locomotives, the Bosphorus Europe Express pulled into the Halkal? Container Terminal in Istanbul’s western suburbs on the evening of March 17, just 35 h after setting out from Ljubljana at 08.30 on the morning of March 16. The record-breaking container train was organised by ...
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NewsDB torpedoes a freight-oriented network
GERMANY: European proposals to give freight trains priority on international corridors have provoked a fierce reaction from Berlin. Murray Hughes reports.
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NewsTFR cleared to order new diesels
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Freight Rail has invited tenders for the supply of up to 100 new diesel locomotives. Three suppliers - EMD, GE Transportation and Siemens - have been invited to bid for the contract. Bids were due to be submitted by March 10, but the closing date has now ...
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Patriot Corridor goes ahead
USA: On March 10 the Surface Transportation Board formally approved the Patriot Corridor joint venture between Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways. Effective from April 9, this paves the way for a new joint venture company, Pan Am Southern LLC, to begin operations on May 1. Under the agreement announced ...
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NewsTransnet presses on
SOUTH AFRICA: Despite a ‘marked slowdown in economic growth internationally and domestically’, which has has resulted in reduced traffic volumes, state-owned operator Transnet confirmed on February 18 that it was pushing ahead with its capital investment programme. This envisages total spending of around R80bn over the next five years. Of ...
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NewsBNSF explores the fuel cell
USA: A hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive now being assembled will serve as a testbed for reducing diesel fuel use by North America’s railroads. David Lustig reports from Topeka.
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NewsDB Schenker structure revised
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn has announced the new management team for the European rail-based logistics activities which have been grouped under the DB Schenker Rail brand. This now contains three geographic and two sector-based business units. DB Schenker Rail encompasses the former Railion Group and English Welsh & Scottish Railway ...
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NewsWagon prices attractive
GATX: Chicago-based leasing firm GATX reported net income from continuing operations of $196m in 2008, up from $185·8m the previous year. Wagon sales in the secondary market raised $55m, and ‘robust scrapping activity’ took advantage of high scrap prices. As a result, utilisation of the North American fleet of ...
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NewsFreight loco sets off for Australia
AUSTRALIA: Siemens' München-Allach plant has rolled out the first of 23 electric locomotives ordered by Pacific National in 2007. The 1 067 mm gauge Class 7100 locos will be used on coal traffic in Queensland. The first is due to arrive in Brisbane at the beginning of April, with the ...