On August 28 TMH’s Novocherkassk factory handed over five 3ES5K three-section 25 kV AC electric freight locos which Uzbekistan Railways ordered in May
CN has awarded National Steel Car a contract to supply 1 150 high-capacity grain hopper wagons for its Western Canadian grain fleet. ‘CN’s commitment to purchase new generation grain hopper cars will benefit the entire freight system, and provide a significant economic boost to Canada’s recovering economy’, said Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.
Manufacturer CZ Loko now offers short-term locomotive rentals under the EffiRent brand. It is initially offering its EffiLiner 3000 dual-system electric locomotive approved for freight operations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, with basic hourly rates from €70. ‘Our customers often say they need to quickly rent a locomotive for one or two days, so this flexible service is the right fit for them’, said Sales Director Jan Kutálek.
Azerbaijan’s ADY Express has launched services transporting polypropylene to Almaty and Kokshetau in Kazakhstan on behalf of Socar Polymer, routed via Russia rather than across the Caspian Sea.
Kansas City Southern has joined the Operation Clean Sweep initiative developed by the American Chemistry Council and the Plastics Industry Association to prevent the release of to reduce plastic pellet, flake and powder loss into the environment. Specific initiatives underway include development of a transload environmental compliance evaluation programme; incorporation of the programme into storm water pollution prevention training; and referencing the OCS manual in future plastics transload agreements.
The European Rail Freight Association has welcomed the French Prime Minister Jean Castex’s proposal that track access charges be waived until the end of 2020 and reduced by half for the whole of 2021. ERFA said this would support all rail freight operators in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner, and it called for other governments to follow.
Union Pacific has appointed Clarissa Beyah as Chief Communications Officer, overseeing executive and employee communications, media relations, digital and social media, and serving as the communications adviser to the Chairman and senior leadership team. Her pervious roles have included Chief Communications Officer at GE Transportation.
FESCO Transport Group has launched the weekly FESCO Ural Amur Shuttle offering a seven day journey time between Ekaterinburg and Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East. Traffic is estimated at about 600 TEU per month.