Grindrod has returned 13 diesel locomotives to South Africa for refurbishment after they were used to haul 18 million tonnes of iron ore in Sierra Leone over three years.
On August 20 ČD Cargo ordered 11 more Alstom Traxx3 MS locomotives using the last option on a 2018 contract.
Barcelona’s port authority has approved changes to the schedules for loading and unloading trains which are designed to increase capacity and efficiency. There will be four 6 h windows for access, with time slots of up to 3 h for loading and unloading 450 m intermodal trains and 5 h allowed for 750 m long intermodal trains. Automotive services are allowed 4 h for 550 m trains and 6 h for 750 m long trains.
During August Cargo-Partner organised the movement of nearly 160 40 ft containers from six origins in China to destinations in Poland, Hungary and Romania for a ‘prominent pan-European discount variety retailer’. The majority were transported on two dedicated block trains from Xi’an.
On July 23 Jul OTIF’s Secretary General met Turkey’s Minister of Transport & Infrastructure to discuss the country’s role in international rail transport, the development of the Middle Corridor and the support for the transposition of the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail into Turkish law.
Croatia’s ENNA Transport is using Zedas Cargo and Zedas Asset software for resource planning and contract management.
IntelliTrans has expanded its office in Conway, Arkansas, to host more transport management services staff working in rail and other markets.
The Australasian Railway Association‘s submission to the Victorian Freight Policy Reform Programme says the removal of barriers hampering rail productivity, efficiency and reliability is needed to increase rail’s share to 30% of the contestable freight market, which would ease road congestion and bring significant safety and environmental benefits. ’A lack of interoperability across the country is the single most significant drain on productivity for the rail freight sector, directly contributes to the cost of operating rail freight services, reduces operational efficiency and flexibility, dampens the uptake of new technology and pace of innovation, and ultimately hampers the ability to compete with other transport modes’, says ARA.
TMH’s Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant has delivered the first of three NPM2M four-axle DC industrial electric locomotives ordered by Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works in June 2023. The locos are designed to require less maintenance and use 15% less energy than the legacy fleet.