The CEO of Operail, Merle Kurvits, has responded to media attention for Operail Finland’s sale. Estonian media recently said Operail Finland’s sale was a 12 million euro “gift” to the Finnish rail industry. Kurvits refutes the accusations of underselling, saying that Operail sold the subsidiary at a fair price. Operail sold its subsidiary Operail Finland…
Category: Business
French shippers say rail freight improves but remains ‘very inadequate’
The findings of the latest annual study by the Association des Utilisateurs de Transport de Fret (AUTF) on how French shippers view the service offerings of the rail freight and combined transport sectors confirm an improvement in the general level of satisfaction but one which remains “very inadequate.” Based on feedback collected last year from…
Ukrainian Railways is planning to launch 18 new European routes
Ukrainian Railways is planning to launch 18 new routes to European countries. Additionally, the company will seek to restore and build new multimodal container terminals throughout Ukraine. The company’s board chairman, Yevhen Lyashchenko, made the announcement during a briefing in early April. Ukrainian Railways will present the routes in September 2024. Lyashchenko states that the…
China-EU freight through Russia nearly back at pre-war levels
Rail freight transit through Russia to the EU is nearly back at its pre-war level. As Houthi attacks endanger shipping on the Red Sea, shippers are looking for alternative routes. Consequently, the volume of China-EU freight that travels via Russian rail grew by 44 per cent in 2024. According to Russian media, the volume of…
French rail cooperative Railcoop to be dissolved next week
After five years of struggles to remain financially viable, French rail cooperative Railcoop will come to an end next week. The Cahors Commercial Court shall decide the future of Railcoop on Monday 15 April, and all signs point to liquidation. The cooperative was put under receivership by the Cahors Commercial Court at the end of…
Operail Finland sale was 12 million euro “gift” to Finnish business
Estonia lost 12,3 million euros with the sale of the Finnish branch of Operail. Last year, it sold Operail Finland, the former name of the subsidiary, to Nurminen Logistics. Estonia sold the subsidiary at a price below its fair value, leading to allegations of a secret sale. As part of the privatisation of Operail, Estonia…
Amazon onboards Mercitalia trains between Italy-Germany
Amazon signed an agreement with the Italian state-owned rail freight group Mercitalia. The contract envisioned the rail transportation of goods between Amazon’s distribution centres in Italy and Germany. The two routes selected start are Pomezia-Duisburg and Verona-Herne. The e-commerce giant has distribution centres in all four locations involved in the initiative. For the Pomezia-Duisburg itinerary,…
CMA CGM and GTS Rail go international with new joint venture
French shipping giant CMA CGM and Italian rail freight operator GTS Rail are establishing a new joint venture (JV) called European Container Network to take their collaboration to an international level. The two companies are already cooperating in Italy, especially from the port of Genoa. With this new initiative, GTS Rail aims to expand its…
ScanMed corridor sees 2024 rebound
The Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor (ScanMed) is experiencing a rebound in volume and performance in 2024. The infrastructure managers (IMs) of the involved countries attribute the rebound primarily to completion of works along the corridor. ScanMed saw route sales along the corridor grow until 2021. By 2023, sales had more than halved. The IMs’ annual report now…