The Italian Agency for the Safety of Railways and Road and Motorway Infrastructures (ANSFISA) recently announced that tests for the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) will soon commence in the country. However, many industry representatives pointed out that this is not necessarily the initiative Italy needs. It is also not clear how Italy will carry out…
Author: Marco Raimondi
Finland to study European gauge connection to Sweden
Finland wants to study the possibility of creating a European gauge (1435 mm) connection to Sweden to facilitate trade and military mobility with the rest of the European Union. The first option would be to create a 1435 mm railway line connecting Oulu, to Haparanda, on the border with Sweden, where goods have to be…
‘Road transport will keep dominating in Austria and Europe’
A study from the Institute of Transport Economics and Logistics at the University of Vienna of Economics and Business showed quite pessimistic results for the future of Austrian and European rail freight. “Road will remain the dominant mode of transport”, while rail freight will keep losing ground over the next couple of decades, making the…
Helrom to launch new Germany-Austria service
Helrom, a German company specialised in the rail transport of non-cranable semi-trailers, will launch a new service connecting Braunschweig, in northern Germany, with Vienna. The first trains will depart on 24 June with one daily departure. This is not Herlom’s first connection to the Austrian capital. In 2020, the company launched a connection between the…
Contship to boost rail freight in La Spezia with terminal expansion
Italian intermodal company Contship started the procedures to expand the Ravano container terminal at the port of La Spezia, on the Italian northwestern coast. With this terminal, the company said it aims to increase its TEU capacity from 1,4 to 2 million. Rail is expected to play a key role, as mentioned by Contiship’s CEO…
PKP Cargo bets its future on frail foundations
The Polish state-owned rail freight operator PKP Cargo is struggling, as are many of its counterparts across Europe. Rumours surfaced about a possible bankruptcy for PKP Cargo and RailFreight.com went straight to the source to better understand what is happening. The company confirmed that the situation is bleak, and most of its hopes heavily rely…
Etihad Rail and Cosco Abu Dhabi partner up at Khalifa Port
Etihad Rail, the rail company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cosco Shipping Ports Abu Dhabi Container Freight Station. The partnership will enable Cosco’s subsidiary to use the UAE’s railway network to move its cargo from the Khalifa port, 100 kilometres south of Dubai, to other logistics centres in…
‘A fairer rail freight market means fewer state-owned companies’
“There is no reason for the member states to act indirectly as market participants via state-owned, integrated companies”. This was stated in a joint paper by UIRR, ERFA, Die Güterbahnen and RailGood, which set out what they think are the most important measures for rail freight transport in Europe between 2024 and 2029. According to…
More DAC tests are over, developments remain vague
A consortium led by SBB Cargo recently submitted a report to the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) on the DAC+ tests it has been running since March 2023. These tests focussed on the digital aspects of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) such as data transfer. The company said that the tests led to important…
French National Assembly urges EU Member States to boycott the WDD
The French National Assembly, part of the French Parliament, is asking its government to oppose the Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) of the Greening Freight Package (GFP). They are also calling for “Member States to retain full control over the parameters for authorising cross-border driving conditions for lorries over 40 tonnes”. The European Parliament approved…