Iranian manufacturer Mapna has completed delivery of 50 MAP24 3 000 hp diesel locomotives to Mobarakeh Steel of Esfahan. The steelmaker’s CEO Saeed Zarandi said it is investing to increase its use of rail, because ’in addition to reducing costs, this measure will reduce road traffic and the risks arising from it’.
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group has partnered with Pallet Control Tower to improve the global management of EUR pallets with the use of digital tools and with the aim of establishing the EUR pallet system as a global standard. PCT provides options for buying and selling pallets and returnable transport items worldwide. RCG said the partnership is a step towards modernising pallet management and preparing for upcoming regulatory changes, including the EU’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation.
On March 18 Spain’s government announced cofinancing for the development of variable gauge wheelsets for freight locomotives (€1·9m), construction or renovation of nine intermodal terminals and loading points including 1 435 mm gauge tracks, electrification and lengthening sidings (€14·6m), and projects for digitalisation of rail, road and sea freight services (€5·9m).
Patriot Rail and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are to develop a multi-commodity transload facility on CPKC’s network in Denton, Texas, to serve the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Traffic is expected to include lumber, cement, fly ash, steel and consumer appliances.
Spanish wagon manufacturer Talleres Alegría is to convert the closed Mieres Tubos factory in Mieres, south of Oviedo, into a road and rail logistics terminal. The €7·4m project is supported by €2·9m government grant.
DP World is to begin construction work in May for a £1bn four-year project to expand London Gateway as the UK’s largest container port. This will include two further 400 m long all-electric berths and a second rail terminal.
Lineas has improved its EcoVadis sustainability score by 10 points to 51, improving its benchmark ranking by 14 positions. ‘For 2025, our target is to achieve a score of 55’, said Christine Vanoppen, Head of Sustainability. ‘Many of the sustainable initiatives we implement already have a significant impact — it is often a matter of documenting these efforts effectively to demonstrate our progress to EcoVadis auditors and our stakeholders.’ Lineas said scores are increasingly under scrutiny by industries such as chemicals, where clients demand strong ESG credentials from their partners.