Steiermarkbahn has expanded its fleet and reduced its reliance on leasing companies with the purchase of a batch of Tatravagónka four-axle Sggnss container wagons.
On May 11 an inaugural freight service left Bayan Nur in China's Inner Mongolia for Tehran in Iran. The 8 352 km journey via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan was expected to take 15 days.
UAE operator Etihad Rail DB says it is the first heavy rail operator in the Middle East and North Africa to achieve Business Continuity Management System ISO 22301-2012 certification, which was awarded by DNV GL Business Assurance Group. ISO 22301-2012 aims to mitigate the impact of disruptions to a business and prepare organisations to maintain their activities in the case of unplanned events.
Canadian National has awarded National Steel Car a contract to supply 350 centrebeam wagons for lumber traffic, and is looking at an option to purchase or lease an additional 300 wagons.
On May 8 Peel Ports and DB Cargo launched a thrice-weekly container service linking the Port of Liverpool and the Mossend terminal in Glasgow. Customers include potato suplier Cygnet PB, and Walkers Shortbread which sends 700 containers a year to the USA.
CH Robinson has launched a trans-Eurasian rail freight service connecting Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Wuhan, Yiwu, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chongqing in China with Małaszewicze, Hamburg, Duisburg, Milano, Tilburg, Lyon, Paris and London in Europe. 'It is for freight that requires faster transit times than ocean, at twice the speed, with substantial savings over air', said Mike Short, President, Global Forwarding. ‘By adding this service to our portfolio, we won’t compete with ocean shipping or air freight, but rather further complement the breadth of services we already offer’, added Ivo Aris, Vice-President, CH Robinson Europe Global Forwarding.