China-Europe trade corridors are currently facing some significant issues concerning container rates as well as congestion along the railways. Concerning rail freight, congestion concerns the Alashankou and Khorgos border crossings between China and Kazakhstan. Moreover, some issues are starting to surface at the Małaszewicze border crossing in Poland. Rail congestion is having a serious impact…
Category: Business
PKP Cargo eyes “untapped” semi-trailer market for business revival
Polish state-owned rail freight operator PKP Cargo is looking for ways out of its dire financial situation. The company’s new management took the drastic step of suspending nearly a third of its workforce to save money. Now, its strategy director says that the company is looking to semi-trailer transportation for new business opportunities. PKP Cargo…
TX Logistik launches new Göteborg – Umeå intermodal connection
TX Logistik is launching a new intermodal service in Sweden. The company will run a biweekly round trip from Göteborg to Umeå via Eskilstuna near Stockholm. At all locations, the train will make stops at intermodal terminals. The Mercitalia Logistics subsidiary offers 32 loading units per train on the biweekly round trip. Both cranable and…
Hupac’s numbers during 2023 decreased across the board
Hupac’s volumes in general fell by 11.7 per cent, from 975,000 to 845,000 road consignments. In financial terms, this translated into a “consolidated result” of -6,2 million euros. Transalpine volumes, the largest market segment for the company, decreased by 7.6 per cent. For non-transalpine traffic, the drop was set at 14.9 per cent. “Maritime hinterland…
Fuel, electricity and labour costs behind new KTZ cargo fee hikes
Higher fuel, electricity and labour costs are forcing Kazakh Railways’ cargo division (KTZ-GP) to increase its prices. Indebted Kazakh Railways (KTZ) is increasing its prices all across the board, to the dismay of the business community. KTZ is deeply in debt and needs higher income to cover its budget gaps. Even with a fourfold revenue…
Kombiverkehr adds Niš MBOX Terminal to its intermodal network
A win-win solution between Kombiverkehr and MBOX Terminal will see the two partners extending their service network. The two companies have commenced a new collaboration that will see freight trains linking Wels in Austria and Niš in Serbia. The partnership is in effect already and starts by offering three weekly roundtrips between the two locations.…
Rail freight in Poland keeps decreasing
Rail freight in Poland in 2023 experienced a minor setback both in terms of volumes and performance. Compared to 2022, volumes dropped by 6.8 per cent, while tonne-kilometres performance decreased by 1.4 per cent, as the Polish Office of Rail Transport (UTK) stated. In more concrete numbers, the tonnes transported went from 248,5 to 231,6…
Rail freight in Poland keeps decreasing
Rail freight in Poland in 2023 experienced a minor setback both in terms of volumes and performance. Compared to 2022, volumes dropped by 6.8 per cent, while tonne-kilometres performance decreased by 1.4 per cent, as the Polish Office of Rail Transport (UTK) stated. In more concrete numbers, the tonnes transported went from 248,5 to 231,6…
French opposition leader calls for privatisation of SNCF
Following another day of disruptive strike action earlier this week over the payment of bonuses during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, the leader of one of France’s leading opposition political parties has called for the privatisation of SNCF. This initiative would, according to them, ensure more fair competition. In an interview with…
Low freight volumes: Russian Railways loses up to 50 billion rubles
Freight volumes on the Russian rail network keep falling. Russian Railways (RZD) likely incurred a 50 billion ruble loss due to the decline over the first months of 2024. The trend is unlikely to reverse soon. For the past seven months, freight volumes on the Russian rail network have been in decline. According to Forbes.ru,…