Freight news – Page 175
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NewsA change of partners
EUROPE: SNCB has found a new partner to operate international services to southern France and Spain, reports Laurent Charlier.
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NewsFaster freight through MidAmerica
USA: Canadian National and Norfolk Southern have announced an initiative to share tracks to create a MidAmerica Corridor which will shorten their routes for traffic between Chicago, St Louis, Kentucky and Mississippi. The plan comprises three elements. Subject to regulatory approval and the signing of definitive agreements, NS will ...
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NewsTaking a fresh look at TEN-T
EUROPE: ‘We have come to the conclusion that the situation is in need of review’, confirmed Jonathan Scheele, Director of Transport Logistics & Trans-European Networks at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy & Transport. He was participating in a panel debate on European corridors at the fourth Eurailfreight conference organised ...
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NewsPutting the customer first
REFORM: Belgian national operator SNCB has undertaken a radical restructuring of its freight business to create a more commercially-focused business. But, as group co-ordinator Geert Pauwels explains, there is a lot still to do to ensure the incumbent keeps growing in an increasingly-competitive market.
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NewsDedicated Freight Corridor construction launched
INDIA: Chairman of the United Progressive Alliance ruling coalition Sonia Gandhi formally launched the construction of the eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor in a ceremony at Rohtas in Bihar on February 10 (RG 6.08 p383). The eastern DFC will run for 1 279 km from Ludhiana to Sonnagar via Kanpur ...
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NewsBelgrano revival continues
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández visited Barranqueras in Chaco province on December 29 to mark officially the re-opening to freight traffic of a 199·7 km section of the metre-gauge Belgrano network between the river port and Avia Terai. Following the reopening of the Pichanal - Joaquín V González route (RG 1.09 ...
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NewsFreight development plan
SPAIN: Development Minister Magdalena Álvarez has presented the cabinet with a €4·72bn development plan to make rail freight more competitive. The plan’s key objective is to create a basic freight network to improve service reliabilty, linking terminals that will be open to traffic 24 h a day, 365 days a ...
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NewsFreight maglev on test
USA: We reported last year that Union Pacific had commissioned a study into an 8 km maglev conveyor to shuttle containers between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and its Intermodal Container Transfer Facility. Suitable technology is now under development in San Diego, where General Atomics has built ...
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NewsLocomotive with local technology
INDIA: The first diesel-electric locomotive fitted with Indian-designed IGBT traction converters and microprocessor controls has entered service following a month of intensive trials. The Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi originally began production under a 1961 technology transfer agreement with Alco. A further agreement with EMD in 1995 led to increased ...
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NewsDB Schenker buys into Polish freight market
POLAND: Deutsche Bahn announced on January 30 that it had reached agreement to purchase PCC Logistics, the largest private-sector rail freight operator in Poland. The deal was signed in Warszawa by DB Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn, Board Member, Logistics, Norbert Bensel and the founder of PCC Group Waldemar Preussner, and is ...
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NewsEBRD loan for wagon replacement
UKRAINE: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has announced a US$62·5m loan to fund the purchase of wagons under UZ's rolling stock renewal programme. EBRD said the loan is part of the bank's response to the global economic crisis, as the fleet modernisation could not be funded from other ...
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NewsTranscontainer opens a gateway to the west
SLOVAKIA: A 15-year lease of a container transfer terminal will enable Russia’s intermodal operator to launch direct services between Moscow and the Adriatic ports, boosting its position in the Eurasian landbridge market. Chris Jackson reports from Dobra.
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NewsFunkey locomotive orders
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Rail engineering has ordered two 24 tonne diesel shunting locomotives from DCD Dorbyl for delivery to the Kings Rest and Bay Head yards by November. Lafarge Industries, Richards Bay Minerals and Nampower of Namibia have each ordered 35 tonne Funkey DHK locomotives for delivery this year. ...
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NewsFreight data exchange development
EUROPE: UIC has begun development of a standardised and secure way for the rail freight industry to exchange data. To be deployed from mid-2010, the software is intended to make rail more competitive by improving the reliability of journey times and the provision of shipment information. On December 17 ...
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NewsRio Tinto postpones driverless plan
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto Iron Ore announced on January 13 that it was postponing work on its Pilbara automated train operations programme. The easing of market growth caused by the economic slowdown has reduced the urgency of the A$557m project, which was designed to increase the efficiency of the ...
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NewsExperimental gas turbine locomotive undertakes haulage tests
RUSSIA: Russian Railways' experimental GT1-001 gas turbine locomotive hauled a trailing load totalling 10 000 tonnes during trials held last month. RZD's Senior Vice-President Valentin Gapanovich said the run on December 20 demonstrated that the natural gas powered locomotive is capable of hauling heavy freight trains of up to 116 ...
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NewsBiofuel study finds no adverse effect
BIOFUEL: A year-long study into the effects of biofuel on wagon components and lining materials has concluded that there is no adverse effect on rolling stock at current concentrations. Wagon leasing firm VTG Rail and lining manufacturers investigated the effect of petroleum products with 5% bioadditive, the level currently allowed ...
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NewsGATX snaps up Allco wagons
GATX: The receivers of Sydney-based Allco Finance Group sold the company's North American lease fleet of 3 650 wagons to GATX Corp during December. The price of US$217m comprised US$30m in cash and the assumption of US$187m in debt. 'This acquisition reflects GATX's strategy of only acquiring railcars at ...
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NewsRail must do more to win logistics business
LOGISTICS: Freight forwarders and 3PL providers want to make greater use of rail. But until the industry develops an international perspective to match the level of service offered by competing modes, its potential will remain unfulfilled.
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NewsSurface Transportation Board approves EJ&E takeover
USA: The Surface Transportation Board has approved Canadian National's acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway in the Chicago area with effect from January 23. CN had been pressuring STB to issue a decision by the end of 2008 to meet a deadline in its contract with US ...