Metrans adds rail freight connections to Turkey

The Metrans’ service connecting the Halkali, west of Istanbul, to Dunajska Streda, in Slovakia, is getting to extra stops: Belgrade and Budapest. The new initiative, the company said, comes as a response to the increased demand for rail freight services along this corridor. Test trains started running on 19 February, but the connection was officialised […]

Fret SNCF urges government to postpone company discontinuation

The Social and Economic Committee (CSE) of Fret SNCF recently sent a letter to the French government asking to introduce a moratorium to review the discontinuation of the company. “We believe that the hasty action taken by the French government and the SNCF management will not allow the railways to make the necessary changes”, the […]

German chemical industry says it is suffering from continuous rail strikes

The German chemical industry is suffering from the continuous rail strikes, according to branch organisation VCI. The organisation’s director states that the industry cannot afford more strikes, and calls for labour union GDL and Deutsche Bahn to come to an agreement. “We simply cannot afford another standstill of the railways,” says head of VCI Wolgang […]

Russia profits from Red Sea crisis, sees rail freight to Europe grow

Russian Railways (RZD) is benefitting from the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, according to a number of European logistics companies. As maritime shippers have diverted their routes, logistics companies are getting more and more requests to transit goods through Russia as a quicker and cheaper alternative. Yemen’s Houthi rebels continue to attack ships passing […]

After Germany, China is also planning to build a transport hub in Uzbekistan

China is planning to build a transport hub in Uzbekistan. The Chinese logistics company Shenzhen Neptune Logistics announced plans to contribute approximately fifteen million dollars to that end. It is not the first foreign company to take this step, as German company Rhenus earlier announced similar plans. The Chinese investments were announced at a meeting […]

Kombiverkehr launches regular service between Rotterdam and Cologne-Eifeltor

German rail freight operator Kombiverkehr is launching a new service between Rotterdam and Cologne-Eifeltor. The service will run three times a week and is available for nearly all types of goods, except dangerous goods of class 7. The new route will launch on 12 March and allows for intermodal transport with P400 loading units. It […]

SNCF Group in the black for third consecutive year, freight EBITDA also positive

The SNCF Group has recorded a third consecutive year in the black, thanks mainly to the strong performance of its high-speed (TGV) passenger services. Net profit totalled 1.3 billion euros compared to the record figure of 2.4 billion a year earlier, while turnover was up 0.7 per cent at 41.8 billion euros. “The Group is […]

Port of Liege invests in extending container capacity at multimodal hub

Belgium’s inland Port of Liège (PAL) has invested more than 9 million euros in expanding the container terminal at its Trilogiport road-river-rail freight hub. Jointly funded by the EU and Wallonia, the investment “will enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of the Port of Liège while forming part of a wider project to promote multimodal transport. […]