Freight news – Page 3
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NewsTraction innovations on show in Ostrava
CZECH REPUBLIC: One of the 18 Flirt electric multiple-units being supplied to Serbia formed the centrepiece of the Stadler presentation for the Rail Business Days 2024 trade fair at Ostrava’s Trojhalí Karolina centre.
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NewsRumo to invest R$600m more in Paulista network
BRAZIL: An addendum to the agreement covering Rumo Logística’s Malha Paulista concession provides for additional investment worth R$600m
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NewsIran’s Caspian Sea rail link commissioned
IRAN: The 37 km extension of RAI’s Qazvin – Rasht line to the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali was opened on June 20, completing a further section of the International North-South Transport Corridor through the central Asia region.
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Rail Business UKIn-house ETCS installation for Class 66 variant
UK: Freightliner and Siemens Mobility are to undertake the first-in-class retrofitting of ETCS equipment to a Class 66V, a variant of the widely-used EMD Class 66 diesel locomotive family. A DB Cargo UK Class 66 has previously been retrofitted with ETCS at Progress Rail’s site in ...
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NewsEU state aid rule changes aim to simplify support for sustainable transport
EUROPE: The European Commission has begun public consultation on draft guidelines which are designed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date set of rules for the granting of state aid for rail and other sustainable land transport modes. The Land & Multimodal Transport Guidelines would replace the ...
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NewsFreight train operator buys solar power
GERMANY: Hamburger Hafen & Logistik’s rail freight subsidiary Metrans has signed a power purchase agreement with Sunnic Lighthouse, which markets electricity from a solar plant developed by Enerpac at Bimöhlen in Schleswig-Holstein. The agreement covers around 10% of the Metrans Rail Deutschland’s annual requirement of more ...
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NewsProduction of Lobito Atlantic Railway container wagons begins
ANGOLA: South African company Galison Manufacturing has begun the production of 275 container wagons which railway concessionaire Lobito Atlantic Railway has ordered for delivery in three tranches from Q4 this year. The wagons are being made from high-strength steel to provided durability and a low weight ...
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NewsRomanian terminal opens to streamline Ukrainian grain exports
ROMANIA: Private freight operator Grampet Group has opened what it says is Europe’s biggest grain transhipment terminal, at Dornești near the northern border with Ukraine. The terminal has been developed under a public-private partnership with Grampet providing €10m. It enables simultaneous transhipment between eight Ukrainian 1 ...
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NewsMercitalia Rail orders 70 locomotives
ITALY: National railway FS Group’s freight business Mercitalia Rail has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 70 Traxx Universal electric locomotives, including some with last mile capabilities, and to provide 12 years of full maintenance. The contract is worth more than €323m, with deliveries from Alstom’s ...
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NewsChina – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway agreement signed
ASIA: A trilateral intergovernmental agreement has been signed setting out the legal basis for building the planned China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway. China’s President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the event on June 6 by video link. ...
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Rail Business UKSteam turbine freight locomotive prototype to be developed
UK: A Class 60 diesel locomotive is to be converted to a modern form of steam power as a potential alternative to electrification for zero-emission heavy freight operations.
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NewsFRA studies the behaviour of very long freight trains
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has produced three reports into the safety and performance of trains more than 7 500 ft (2 286 m) in length. Testing found that air brake systems performed largely as expected when in a controlled environment, but FRA says further testing ...
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NewsMaintenance deal to enhance Carajás loco fleet
BRAZIL: Mining group Vale has signed a 10-year master service agreement with Wabtec Corp for maintenance of the Evolution series diesel-electric locomotives used on the 1 600 mm gauge Estrada de Ferro Carajás. Worth R$1∙8bn, the agreement will ‘optimise the maintenance services for Vale’s fleet, increasing ...
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NewsSale of Estonian national rail freight operator gets underway
ESTONIA: The government has formally launched a two-stage process to privatise national rail freight operator Operail. The public auction approved by the cabinet on June 6 will cover Operail’s entire business, including freight operations, rolling stock repairs, all contracts and the brand name. It is being ...
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NewsKenya Railways sets out strategic plan for 2023-27
KENYA: Kenya Railways has launched its strategic plan for 2023-27, setting out a medium-term policy, legal, institutional and regulatory framework to transform itself into the ’leading transport service provider in the region’. The plan includes developing and upgrading rail infrastructure, increasing freight and passenger capacity, expanding ...
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In depthFreight: ‘Nobody is writing us a cheque for €13bn’
European policymakers and the larger rail freight operators are confident that the Digital Automatic Coupler programme can move from vision to reality by 2028. Nevertheless, significant financial and logistical barriers remain. Toma Bačić reports.
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NewsFreight traffic resumes on Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway
ASIA: The Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway has re-opened for freight traffic following a year-long maintenance and rebuilding programme on the Georgian section of the line. Work on the 170 km section between Marabda and Akhalkalaki began in May last year and was completed on ...