Freight news – Page 55
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NewsSpanish fruit and vegetables reach Denmark by rail
EUROPE: Transfesa Logistics and Euro Pool System have expanded the CoolRail network of refrigerated services to Denmark, with the first trial delivery of a container of fresh fruit and vegetables. This travelled from Almussafes near Valencia in Spain to Denmark via Köln, with a transit time ...
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NewsYear of Rail must focus on modal shift
EUROPE: ‘We need to have a medium and long-term vision for rail’, emphasised Portugal’s Minister for Infrastructure & Housing Pedro Nuno Santos on March 29, officially launching the European Union Year of Rail with a virtual conference hosted from Lisboa.
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NewsItalian support packages approved
ITALY: Two packages of Italian government support provided to the rail sector during the coronavirus crisis have been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. One was a €270m measure to reduce track access costs for freight and commercial passenger operators between March ...
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Metro Report InternationalFrankfurt studies cargo tram opportunities
GERMANY: A project to investigate the possibility of introducing a freight tram service in Frankfurt has been awarded funding by the Land of Hessen. The project is being undertaken by Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, in co-operation with city transport operator VGF and parcel delivery service ...
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NewsCar-carrying wagon contract
GERMANY: Waggonbau Niesky and Slovak partner ŽOS Trnava are to produce 130 four-axle Laaers double-deck car-carrying wagons for use by DB Cargo. The order is worth €7m, and there are options for additional wagons. ŽOS Trnava is to supply components for the wagons to Germany between ...
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NewsMedway to launch daily intermodal train linking Portugal with Germany
EUROPE: Private freight operator Medway plans to launch a direct daily intermodal train branded Vasco de Gama from terminals in Portugal to Stuttgart in Germany in the fourth quarter of this year. Initially the train carrying general freight shipments will run via the break of gauge ...
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NewsRZD completes Zabaikalsk electrification
RUSSIA: Russian Railways has completed the 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of its 365 km line from a junction with the Trans-Siberian Railway at Karymskaya to Zabaikalsk on the Chinese border.
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Rail Business UKGB Railfreight orders Greenbrier wagons
UK: GB Railfreight has selected leasing company Porterbrook to finance an order for 100 Greenbrier 60 ft intermodal twin wagons, following an ‘extended commercial exercise’. The contract will initially operate as a 10-year dry lease. The first batch of wagons are scheduled to be completed in ...
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Rail Business UKFreightliner ‘jumbo train’ exploits spare capacity in the pandemic
UK: Taking advantage of the reduced demand for passenger travel during the coronavirus pandemic, Freightliner ran a trial 39-wagon ‘jumbo’ train on March 16-17 transporting aggregates from Tunstead quarry south of Buxton in the Peak District to Wembley Yard in London on behalf of Tarmac. ...
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NewsTurkey extends rail subsidies to the end of 2023
TURKEY: Parliament has passed legislation extending state support for infrastructure manager TCDD and national train operator TCDD Taşımcılık until at least the end of 2023, with a clause allowing the President to extend subsidies for up to a further 10 years without recourse to parliament. The ...
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NewsCanadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern agree to merge
NORTH AMERICA: The two smallest Class I railroads, Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern, have agreed to merge, creating what they say will be ‘the first US-Mexico-Canada rail network’.
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NewsHydrogen fuel cell locomotive to be tested by Sierra Northern Railway
USA: The California Energy Commission has awarded Sierra Northern Railway and energy research organisation GTI almost $4m to fund the production of a fuel cell shunting locomotive, with the aim of demonstrating the potential for hydrogen traction units to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel. ...
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Rail Business UKSwift Express Freight demonstrator to be tested
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail and Ricardo have teamed up to develop an electric multiple-unit intended to demonstrate a cost-effective and low carbon way of transporting parcels. Dubbed Swift Express Freight, the demonstrator is to be converted at Wabtec’s Doncaster site from a surplus Class 321 ...
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NewsScurrah and Cory to lead Pacific National
AUSTRALIA: Paul Scurrah has been selected as the next Managing Director & CEO of freight operator Pacific National, succeeding Dean Dalla Valle who had announced his intention to step down earlier this year. Having previously served as CEO of Queensland Rail and Executive ...
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NewsTests suggest 30% cost saving using distributed power with LTE
EUROPE: Initial results have confirmed the feasibility of operating long freight trains with distributed power using LTE technology, and the potential for significant cost savings.
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NewsFour start-ups chosen in Rumo’s Fuse safety innovation programme
BRAZIL: Ideas and concepts to improve safety at level crossings are to be developed and tested under plans announced by freight concessionaire Rumo. Four proposals have been selected for development under the Fuse programme to identify and implement safety improvements, which was launched by the operator in ...
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NewsSGR operating contract to be terminated
KENYA: The government has given notice that it intend to transfer control of operations on the country’s standard-gauge railway to Kenya Railway Corp from May 2022.
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In depthTurkey: Freight won’t wait
Restrictions on road haulage due to the pandemic have driven a sharp increase in Turkey’s rail freight traffic, particularly on international corridors, reports David O’Byrne. Further growth is expected to follow the completion of rail-served logistics centres across the network.