Gascoigne Interchange reaches planning milestone

It takes stamina to jump all the hurdles of the British planning approval system. So, it is justified for any developer to applaud clearing obstacles loudly. Harworth Group has achieved a significant milestone in that respect. North Yorkshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee has passed a resolution granting planning permission for their proposed redevelopment of a…

Derailment at port of Felixstowe results in intermodal blockage

Britain’s busiest intermodal rail terminal is partly blocked by a derailment. Felixstowe, which is also Britain’s busiest marine sea container terminal, has a substantial fraction of its rail freight facilities out of actions. An inbound intermodal train has derailed causing significant infrastructure damage. Rail freight operations at Felixstowe could be compromised for at least a…

Rail freight key to keep Australia’s grain market financially competitive

Bulk transport by rail is among a crop of measures from the Australian GrainGrowers, a national association reprinting the arable farming industry and its supply chain at large. Soaring costs, particularly in transportation, threaten to make home-grown grain financially unsustainable. That is a situation that GrainGrowers recognises as untenable. They seek to address it with…

“New Dawn” steam to power British freight

Steamology, a green technology start-up company in the South of England, is rolling back the wheels of time. The company is on the verge of making history by turning to the historic power source of steam. However, in an entirely futuristic way, it’s steam, Britain, but not as we know it. We always thought that…

EU’s Council of Ministers approves European-gauge railway to Klaipeda

The EU’s Council of Ministers has approved the construction of a European-gauge railway to the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda. The newly approved railway is part of the revised TEN-T regulation. According to the Lithuanian transport ministry, the European-gauge railway to Klaipėda will improve transport and logistics links in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe.…

EIB to lend Czechia half a billion euros for rail modernisation

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Czechia 13 billion crowns (526 million euros) for the modernisation of the country’s rail infrastructure. The money will be used to increase both freight and passenger capacity, as well as to strengthen the three TEN-T lines on Czech territory. Apart from a multitude of exclusively passenger-related projects, the…

ČD Cargo director: “A reverse modal shift would be imminent” with ETS-2

The EU’s Emissions Trading System 2 (ETS-2) could be a serious obstacle for the rail freight industry. It would be an additional financial burden but also hamper decarbonisation in transportation as a reverse modal shift could be “imminent”. The EU’s new emissions trading system, ETS-2, could be a serious burden on the rail freight sector.…

Ukrainian Railways receives half a billion euros in international support

Ukrainian Railways (UZ) is receiving approximately 500 million euros in international financial support. The money comes from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the form of a loan, as well as from the World Bank and Switzerland as a grant. The money is to be spent on electric locomotives and infrastructure. UZ,…

Will Switzerland fund the upgrade of the railway on the Rhine’s left bank?

The Swiss Federal Council proposed three measures to boost the modal shift from road to rail across the Alps. The main measure is the financing for the adaptation to the 4-metre profile of the railway between Basel, Strasbourg and Metz to create a viable alternative route on the left bank of the Rhine River. However,…