Kyrgyzstan’s national railway KTJ is taking delivery of 100 open wagons ordered from Altaivagon. ‘With the purchase of wagons, it will be possible to modernise the rolling stock of the Kyrgyz Railway and ensure the growth of needs of businesses’, said KTJ Director General Azamat Sakiev.
TMH Bryansk has delivered a third 2TE25KM heavy freight diesel locomotive and three TEM18DM shunting locos which Nornickel ordered in Q4 2021 for use at its Polar Division and on the Kola Peninsula. Nornickel plans to purchase up to 15 more TEM18DM diesel locomotives by 2025.
EP Logistics International and Slovenske Železnice completed the formation of a joint venture to take over the Slovenian national railway’s freight activities on January 14. The Czech company said both partners ‘have high expectations’ that the joint venture ‘will become one of the key carriers of freight transport and logistics in the region, which includes the territories of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Italy’.
Transport group Sandahlsbolagen has acquired Bure Equity’s locomotive leasing business IABB, which owns seven Bombardier Traxx electric locos leased to freight operators in Sweden and Norway. Sandahlsbolagen intends to use the fleet to haul its own traffic. ‘It is a milestone for our development that with the acquisition of IABB we now have access to seven powerful, modern and energy-efficient locomotives. This will significantly increase the quality and punctuality of the rail transport we offer our customers’, said Sandahlsbolagen CEO Thord Sandahl on January 20.
On March 31 TX Logistik is to introduce a four times per week block train between the Trelleborg ferry port and the Eskilstuna intermodal terminal, 100 km west of Stockholm, for Austrian full lorry load specialist LKW Walter.
Russian wagon manufacturer RM Rail is using an aluminium scandium alloy and friction stir welding to produce the body of a new design of hopper wagon for fertiliser, grain and other bulk cargoes. The Type 19-1299 wagon will have 25 tonne axleload bogies and a 0·5 tonne lower tare weight and increased capacity of 79 tonnes or 111 m3 compared to previous designs.
Sam Sexhus has been appointed President & CEO of US short line group Patriot Rail. He was previously Vice-President of Strategy & Technology at BNSF. ‘After almost 28 years in the Class I railroad industry, I’m excited and honoured to be chosen for the role to help lead a “best-in-class” short line carrier. I have worked closely with short lines my entire career, and Patriot Rail embodies the entrepreneurialism, speed to market, and general “can do” attitude that short line rail requires’, said Sexhus.’It’s a bullish time for the future of North American railroading, and Patriot Rail is perfectly positioned to play a leading role.’
Belgian private freight operator Lineas has appointed Frank Berweger as Director of Sales, succeeding Matthias Herrebosch who has left the rail sector. Berweger was previously Vice-President Sales for the Americas at Lufthansa Technik. ‘I was impressed with the skill level of the team at Lineas and their dedication to making rail cargo services better and easier for our customers’, said Berweger. ‘That, paired with the mission of realising a sustainable and climate-friendly modal shift, is what excites me about Lineas.’
As part of its national rail freight strategy, Israel Railways has obtained planning approval for the construction of a freight terminal near Netivot in the western Negev by 2025. Traffic is expected to include industrial and agricultural products for the ports of Ashdod and Haifa totalling more than 50 000 containers/year.
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ first thrice-weekly train between Chongqing and Bremen arrived at the German city’s Roland Terminal on January 21, carrying fashion, automotive and high-tech products. Hellman said it has introduced the trains in response to increasing demand and to offer an alternative destination to Duisburg and Hamburg. It is working with Chinese operator Yuxinou to offer connections from Chongqing to southeast Asia, and links to terminals in southern and eastern Europe are planned.
Union Pacific subsidiary Loup Logistics has acquired the PCI Reload facility which provides transloading, storage and trucking services in the Phoenix area, handling more than 8 000 wagons and 38 000 lorries per year.
CSX has appointed Sean R Pelkey as Executive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer.
