The financing agreement details of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) line have been revealed. The project is expected to cost 4.7 billion US dollars in total. According to Kyrgyz railway officials, China is expected to fund 51 per cent of the project’s costs with a loan of 2.3 billion US dollars. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will need to…
Author: Nikos Papatolios
Weather becomes a delaying factor for German rail again
Bad weather-strikes-bad weather. This is the sequence of events that German rail freight has dealt with in the past few weeks. Following the industrial action of North Sea German port workers during the past seven days, bad weather conditions in the German north are set to delay the handling of trains even more. Here’s the…
Iran inaugurates railway linking Caspian Sea to Persian Gulf
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) sees another critical rail puzzle piece taking its place. The Qazvin-Rasht rail link will be inaugurated on Thursday, 20 June in the presence of Iranian, Russian and Azerbaijani delegates. This short (37 kilometres) but critical piece of infrastructure will provide seamless railway connections between Caspian Sea ports and the…
Nurminen Logistics and Kazakhstan eye joint Middle Corridor investments
What started as a regular service cooperation in late 2022 is now ready to upgrade into a full partnership aimed at rail investments. Nurminen Logistics and the Government of Kazakhstan, represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Murat Nurtleu, are discussing the possibilities of improving the Middle Corridor. Their negotiations entail the possibility of launching joint investment…
German network overhaul at full steam; here are the latest updates
Amidst a wave of railway infrastructure renovations expected to occur in Germany in the coming weeks and months, more information surfaces regarding the closure and substitution of routes. As the German Federal Government underlined during a parliamentary discussion, the Hamburg-Berlin route is set to experience a nine-month closure in two sections between August 2025 and…
Ukrainian Railways breaks container volume records and grows capacity
It might sound surprising, but Ukrainian Railways just broke a volume record that has been intact since 2021. Despite continuous challenges in the past years, the state-owned operator recorded an impressive 60 per cent year-on-year increase in TEU (totalling 116,129 TEU) in the first five months of 2024, the highest volume of containerised cargo transported…
Transalpine rail faces another hurdle as Simplon route undergoes upgrades
The already debilitated Transalpine rail freight corridor is undergoing another set of infrastructure closures targeting tunnel upgrades. Closures along what is known as the Simplon route have been underway since 9 June. Specifically, the Arona-Stresa section of the Milan-Domodossola-Sempione line will be closed for three months until 8 September. In addition, the route between Iselle,…
North German ports and rail impaired as new warning strike unfolds
Port workers have launched another round of warning strikes, which will prevent North Sea ports in Germany from handling cargo for another 24 hours. The new strike commenced on Monday, 17 June, at 6 a.m. and will last until Tuesday, 18 June, at 6 a.m. Rail freight companies warn about the backlog of services resulting…
Duisburg Gateway Terminal selects INFORM to aid sustainability strides
INFORM, the AI and optimisation software leader, has been selected by Duisburg Gateway Terminal (DGT) to introduce advanced AI-based solutions to kick off terminal operations and ensure optimised conditions. This collaboration marks a significant step in enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of intermodal logistics, particularly with the establishment of Europe’s first CO2-neutral intermodal terminal in…
PKP Cargo and COSCO to expand intermodal flows all over Europe
Intermodal transport and logistics will be the core development pillar of a strengthened partnership between PKP Cargo and COSCO Shipping Group. The two parties are poised to expand their intermodal offerings in multiple countries “in Western, Central and Eastern Europe”. PKP Cargo appears to become a core partner in COSCO’s increased rail freight presence in…