The realignment and renewal of tracks on the main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros under Uruguay’s Ferrocarril Central programme was completed with a final weld on November 17. Outstanding work includes track renewals around Peñarol station and rehabilitation of the junction connecting the docks branch serving the port of Montevideo with the currently closed Montevideo Central station.
Mapna Group subsidiaries Pars Wagon Company and Mapna Multimodal Transport Company have agreed a contract covering the supply of 300 high-sided wagons to carry grain. This forms part of a 2019 framework agreement under which 1 000 wagons are to be supplied to MMT; this was signed following the takeover of Pars by the Tehran-headquartered energy, rail and healthcare conglomerate.
Austria’s Rail Cargo Group has added a Villach – Frosinone service to its TransFER intermodal network, initially running once per month. Weekly return trips between southern Austria and central Italy are due to be introduced once the route is established. The transit time between the terminals is one day.
Colas Rail has established its Colas Rail Traction subsidiary to provide locomotives and other rolling stock for its maintenance activities and freight services in France, with the aim of improving operational reliability. The business unit employs 140 people.
Rail Cargo Group reports that it is now running intermodal trains with craneable trailers for an automotive customer from Europe to Asia through the Marmaray Tunnel under the Bosporus in Istanbul. RCG says it is ‘the only end-to-end rail logistics specialist with a permit for transit of semi-trailers as well as 45ft HC containers and swapbodies through the tunnel’, which can be used by freight traffic at night when Marmaray suburban passenger trains do not operate.