An incentive regarding the acquisition of rail rolling stock in Italy is on the verge of being cancelled, despite the funds being already allocated and having generated huge investments. “We lack certainty about the rules”, Fermerci general manager Giuseppe Rizzi told RailFreight.com. The amount being cut is 70 million euros, and it would be retroactive […]
Category: Policy
EU Parliament’s plenary says yes to ‘monstertrucks’ after all
With a marginal majority (300 votes against 295), the European Parliament has approved the legislative proposals of the Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). In practice, this means that the Parliament approved, among other things, the circulation of gigaliner trucks and the use of heavier trucks diesel-powered trucks […]
Russia considers giving priority to oil and gas on its railway network
The Russian government is considering giving priority to oil and gas on its railway network in its Far Eastern region. Earlier, Russian oil and gas companies reported regular refusals for transportation of their products from rail operators. As oil and gas are essential commodities for Russia’s economy, the government is now considering giving them priority […]
New combined transport definition is still too vague, says TRAN Committee
The European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) published a Working Document compiling a bundle of recommendations to improve the Combined Transport Directive, part of the Greening Freight Package. According to the report, the new definition of combined transport still exhales uncertainty, possibly hindering the competitiveness of this modality. The new definition of combined […]
Words versus reality: “The Dutch Second Chamber is being misled,” says head of rail organisation
On Friday 1 March, the Dutch state secretary for infrastructure addressed a wide range of rail freight policy issues in a letter to the lower house of parliament. While the letter presented some successes, not everyone is happy with its contents, or even its level of truthfulness. “The Second Chamber is being misled,” says Hans-Willem […]
TRAN committee votes in favour of Capacity Regulation amendments
The European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) has recently approved various amendments to the Capacity Management Directive, part of the Greening Freight Package. The main new aspects introduced are the creation of a European Railway Undertaking Platform (ERP), a new role for the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and additional recommendations concerning […]
TRAN committee votes in favour of Capacity Regulation amendments
The European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) has recently approved various amendments to the Capacity Management Directive, part of the Greening Freight Package. The main new aspects introduced are the creation of a European Railway Undertaking Platform (ERP), a new role for the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and additional recommendations concerning […]
CEF unlocks 1 billion for alternative fuels, rail doesn’t get a penny
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) unlocked one billion euros through its Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) to boost the deployment of alternative fuel supply infrastructure across the European Union. However, rail seems to be the only transport sector currently excluded from this project. The initiative is aimed at “road, maritime, inland waterway and air transport […]
Logistics UK say rail reform bill starts a whole system approach
Last week’s introduction of the UK government’s Draft Rail Reform Bill could be the catalyst for a whole system approach. That’s the view of Logistics UK, the industry-wide business group representing members from rail, road, sea and air transport. The organisation wants to see rail freight sit at the heart of the industry. That’s an […]
Latvia bans agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus
Latvia has banned agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus. The Baltic country is the first EU country to go as far as to introduce a total ban on Russian agricultural products. The ban will last until 2025 at the very least. Russia’s neighbouring Baltic country was one of the biggest importers of Russian grain in […]