GATX Rail Europe has acquired 48 secondhand Shimmnss wagons for steel and aluminium coil traffic. They are currently being overhauled and retrofitted with LL-silent brakes.
Transnet Freight Rail and Kalagadi Manganese Resources are to launch a pilot project providing new mining companies with access to rail transport. The South African freight operator will make 2 mtpa of rail and port capacity available to emerging miners from April 1, and Kalagadi’s rail loading point will be managed by a third-party operator so that it can be used by mining companies without the capital required to invest in their own loading facilities.
TekTracking has deployed its Commander Terminal Automation ethernet-based wireless control system at two Class I railway yards in Wisconsin. CTA uses off-the-shelf products to replace legacy communication and control equipment, retaining the existing point machines to reduce costs.
LTG Cargo is to launch a twice-weekly intermodal service running 740 km from Kaunas in Lithuania to Sławków near Katowice in Poland. Sławków is on the LHS broad gauge line from Ukraine, and also has regular freight connections to Schwarze in Germany, Maddaloni in Italy and Koper in Slovenia. ‘This new connection will enable us to shift even more goods still carried by road to rail’, said CEO Eglė Šimė.
Tests of a prototype TMH Bryansk 3TE28 diesel locomotive are underway at the VNIKTI research centre in Kolomna. Designed for hauling 7 100 tonne trains in the harsh conditions on the eastern sections of the Baikal-Amur line, the three-section loco with Kolomna engines is rated at 7·5 MW and has a maximum speed of 120 km/h.
Finnish private freight operator Fenniarail has appointed Traffic Manager Hannu Lehikoinen as Director of Planning, responsible for service and fleet concepts and rolling stock acquisition.
TX Logistik is to increase its Rostock – Verona service from four to six trains per week from February 22 to meet increased demand for trailer transport.
On February 27 Hupac is to launch a five times a week shuttle train between Antwerpen and Zeebrugge, with short sea connections to the UK. The Zeebrugge/Antwerpen to Ludwigshafen service will be increased from five to six departures per week, and Hupac’s network offers onward rail connections across Europe to destinations including Spain, Poland and Turkey.
Agreements to provide paid sick leave for 5 000 workers have been reached by CSX and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen unions. Similar agreements are planned with other unions. ‘CSX is committed to listening to our railroaders and working with their representatives to find solutions that improve their quality of life and experience as employees’, said President & CEO Joe Hinrichs on February 7. ’These agreements demonstrate that commitment and are a direct result of the collaborative relationship we are working to cultivate with all of the unions that represent CSX employees.’