Multiple challenges, some continuing from previous years and some appearing out of the blue, created a not-so-business-friendly environment for intermodal operator Hupac in 2023. The company saw its traffic and volumes declining across its whole network and has implemented strategic moves to tackle the harsh market conditions. In 2023, Hupac transported approximately 975,000 road consignments, […]
Author: Nikos Papatolios
‘Germany is not short in money to keep financing railway projects’
Despite the significant budget cuts expected for the 2024-2027 period, Peter Westenberger, the managing director of the industry association Die Güternbahnen, is convinced that there are still enough funds to continue carrying out critical railway expansion and upgrade works in Germany. “There is no shortage of money in Germany,” he said, underlying that a Swiss […]
Is INSTC’s Rasht-Astara line on track for another setback?
It is probably the most critical railway section of the International North-South Corridor (INSTC), and its construction has been planned for a few years, with several ups and downs along the way. The Rasht-Astara railway line is supposed to commence construction work in early 2024. Nevertheless, Russia and Iran, which are directly involved in the […]
Labour disputes bring February strikes in Spain starting today
The Spanish railway workers’ unions CCOO and SCF launched a 23-hour strike at midnight on 9 February. The strike is expected to affect traffic throughout the country, with 65 per cent of rail freight services not running. This results from a labour dispute with infrastructure manager Adif concerning the number of working hours per week […]
Easter brings timetable changes for freight traffic via the Gotthard axis
SBB will adjust the service timetable through the Gotthard axis for the Easter period, bringing some changes for freight traffic. The Swiss company aims to facilitate commuters during the holidays and thus will increase passenger itineraries. As a result, freight traffic will be largely redirected via the Simplon tunnel. However, after Easter, most freight services […]
EU cities urge Commission to make the right legislative decisions for rail
The European Committee of Regions (CoR) is entering the modal shift race with a clear message: European cities want to see the number of trucks circulating in their premises reduced. At the same time, they ask the EU to strengthen intermodal transport via rail and barge as the only way to meet decarbonisation goals and […]
Port of Huelva closer to launching key railway link
The Spanish port of Huelva is taking decisive steps to elevate its rail operations and increase the share of rail freight in its total throughput. Plans entail launching direct railway services to Madrid so cargo can further transit towards Northern Europe. The railway services are expected to commence in partnership with operator Renfe by 2025. […]
What is the real strength of Silk Road rail amidst sea shipping disruptions?
Healthy competition is not about celebrating one sector’s business loss and subsequent absorption by another. It is about making the best of a given opportunity and building upon it long-term. In this sense, the Eurasian rail sector active in the Silk Road business has a tremendous opportunity presented in the context of the Red Sea […]
Germany: long-term infrastructure projects also affected by budget cuts
The German Federal Government has officially approved the reduced transport budget for 2024. After some amendments in the sums to be cut and the sectors they will affect, the German parliament greenlit it. In addition to reduced financial support for the current year, the German rail sector will also be affected by cuts in long-term […]