ČD Cargo, Metrans Rail, AWT, LTE Czechia, RM Lines, IDS Cargo, Unipetrol Doprava, Rail Cargo Carrier and EP Cargo, which together carry 90% of all Czech rail freight, have formed lobbying group Žesnad to focus on improving competiveness with road transport. Aims include lowering the cost of traction energy and track access, gaining better daytime train paths, advising the government on legislation, and counterbalancing the Česmad Bohemia road hauliers’ association.
From June 8 Rail Cargo Group and Italian partners Società Alpe Adria and TO Delta expanded the Julia Shuttle container train network to include a twice-weekly direct link between Salzburg and Trieste, without the current stop in Villach.
On May 31 Sino-Global Shipping America and Shandong Hi-speed TEU Logistics Co announced a partnership to create a door-to-door network of rail and sea services for transporting containers between China, North America and Australia.
Freightliner has launched its 23rd daily rail service from the UK Port of Felixstowe, increasing the total number of daily trains from the port to 32. The service will initially run to a DB Cargo site operated by Newell & Wright in Rotherham, before transferring to the Freightliner Railport at Doncaster once development work has finished at the site.
DB Cargo UK announced on June 1 that it had agreed a new five-year contract with long-term customer Mendip Rail to deliver more than 100 trains of aggregates per week. A dedicated management team holds daily joint performance meetings at the Mendip Rail office to focus on any issues that may impact on the service.
OT Logistics and Jarpid Investment have signed a letter of intent to purchase the Polish freight operators STK and Kolej Bałtycka.
Russian Railways’ Sverdlovsk Railway and Usolsky Potash Plant have begun modernising Berezniki-Sortirovochnye marshalling yard in the Perm region under a PPP deal. Tracks will be lengthened to 1 050 m to support a planned increase in potash traffic from 1·9 to 2·9 million tonnes/year by 2025.
From this month Roland Spedition has introduced a thrice-weekly block train from Hamburg Waltershof to Nürnberg Tricon, with connections for Austria.
DVB Bank SE provided financing for the last seven new-build EMD JT42CWR Class 66 locomotives ordered by GB Railfreight.