Medway has begun driver-only operation in Portugal, running its first train with a single crew member between Entroncamento and Gaia on August 8. Director Carlos Vasconcelos said this would be a step forward for productivity and competitiveness; the 113 staff affected have been offered the opportunity to qualify as drivers or transfer to other operating roles.
Finnish open access freight operator Fenniarail has begun transporting timber from loading points to UPM’s factories using wagons managed by the timber and paper conglomerate. ’This new form of co-operation is of great importance to UPM’s wood logistics’, said UPM Metsä’s resource manager Marko Nevalainen. ‘We want to increase rail transport to our factories, because rail is a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective form of transport than road.’
Queensland coal railway operator Bowen Rail Co showcased the ‘excitement, job security and innovation’ of rail careers to students at the Proserpine Careers Expo. ‘Naturally everyone wants to get in the cab of one of our state-of-the-art locomotives and be a driver’, said General Manager Brendan Lane. ‘But our business and industry offer well-paid, fulfilling careers for engineers, IT graduates, environmental managers, finance specialists, tradespeople, technicians and more.’
Watco’s Texas Coastal Bend Railroad was launched on August 3, operating a 100 km rail network within the Port of Corpus Christi under a 10-year contract awarded by the port authority. ‘We look forward to building our relationship with Port Corpus Christi and partnering with customers to create long-term value while investing in continuous infrastructure improvements,’ said Watco CEO Dan Smith.
Metrans is to launch a twice-weekly container service connecting the Halkalı terminal in Turkey with its Dunajská Streda terminal in Slovakia from September 3.
Scandinavian Logistics Partners has opened its first office in Norway, headed by Vegard Kristiansen as local Managing Director. Located at Gardermoen near Oslo, the office will specialise in international transport by rail, sea, road and air.
Norfolk Southern has released its 15th annual Environmental, Social & Governance report, which highlights its carbon calculator to enable companies to make better transport decisions, and an inaugural Sustainability Summit, NS reports a 5% improvement toward its science-based target of 42% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2034; it has introduced technologies which have improved fuel efficiency by 7% from 2019. It is now reclaiming used oil and recycling 100% of both used sleepers and rail. The railroad has increased its total renewable energy usage in deregulated markets to approximately 26%, or 12% across its entire network.
