Latvian petition against manganese ore export to Russia gaining momentum

A petition to ban the export of manganese ore to Russia is picking up the pace in Latvia. The public initiative gathered a third of the required signatures for a parliamentary debate in a single week. The Latvian rail sector has suffered from sanctions on Russia, but public opinion is heavily in favour of them.…

Russia starts rail freight service through occupied Ukrainian land

Russia has launched a rail freight service through occupied Ukrainian territories. It started working on a direct rail line to Crimea over land last year. On 15 March, Russia reported that the freight route between Rostov-on-Don and Crimea started operating. According to Oleg Kalevatykh, the deputy head of ‘Novorossiya Railways’, the first train on the…

FESCO signs rail agreements with 5 Chinese logistics companies

Russian logistics company FESCO has signed agreements with five Chinese logistics companies. The agreements, by and large, concern rail freight. FESCO has entered into agreements with five Chinese logistics companies. The Russian company signed an agreement with Weisa International Logistics Group, in which the two companies agree to work together for rail freight optimisation on…

Shortages delay and suspend nearly 50,000 trains in Russia

Russian rail maintenance companies are struggling to acquire enough spare parts to service locomotives. They also face a shortage of highly educated staff. As a result, Russian Railways (RZD) has had to suspend or delay almost 50,000 trains throughout 2023. In comparison to 2022, the amount of delayed or suspended trains due to a lack…