PKP Cargo concedes to unions as it looks to “Make Cargo Great Again”

PKP Cargo is amending the rules of the emergency ‘failure to perform work’ measure. Trade unions managed to secure a number of concessions from the company to employees, among which is a minimum wage payout at the very least. The PKP Cargo president is calling upon the remaining unions to enter into dialogue, to improve…

Rail freight misses out on German rail expansion act funding

Rail freight will not be included in the German Federal Railway Infrastructure Expansion Act (BSWAG). As a result, German rail freight will miss out on ETCS funding and compensation for the upcoming lengthy route closures. Rail freight is not being included in the BSWAG, and the German rail freight sector will therefore likely not be…

Aggregate terminal to revive Scots line?

The Kincardine Railway has been dormant for more than five years. However, a proposed aggregates terminal would bring regular rail freight traffic back to this mothballed line in Scotland. The dormant railway line in Kincardine could be revived if Tillicoultry Quarries has its plans accepted. The company intends to transform the former Longannet Power Station…

China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan come to CKU line agreement

China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have signed an agreement on the construction of the railway between the three countries. The document specifies financing, the route to be taken, operation and maintenance. Reportedly, construction will begin in October.  The three countries took part in an online signing ceremony on Thursday, 6 June. The agreement sets in stone…

Freight to contribute little to billions of Rail Baltica-induced growth

Rail Baltica is an economically viable undertaking. While its projected cost has grown immensely in recent years, the high-speed rail line is expected to contribute up to 23,5 billion euros to the Baltic economies. Freight, however, is not likely to contribute much. An independent cost-benefit analysis (CBA) found that Rail Baltica will likely add between…

Political parties weigh anchor on rail freight from Suffolk ports

Rail freight from Felixstowe may not be the defining issue of the forthcoming UK General Election. However, the broader question of rail freight development is on the agenda of all the major political parties. With less than a month until the UK goes to the polls, the level of traffic in the east of England…

Amid looming threat of Polish border blockades, UZ asks: Why not rail?

The threat of Polish-Ukrainian border blockades is systemic. As road blockades can resume at any time, Ukrainian Railways (UZ) is now asking: Why not ship goods via rail? UZ is proposing that more Ukrainian export freight be transported via rail. The operator says that it received warnings that the frequent border blockades are systemic, and…

INSTC takes up role as energy corridor: Russian coal to head to India

Russia is planning to ship coal to India along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). India has long been interested in establishing trade with Russia along the corridor, and cooperated with Iran for that purpose. The collaboration is now bearing fruit, as the INSTC is taking up its role as an energy corridor between Russia…

Maritime Transport stacks the intermodal racks with new reachers

UK-based Maritime Transport has stepped up its game in handling integrated road and rail freight logistics. The Felixstowe-headquartered company has gone large with an order of 14 new reach stackers from manufacturers Kalmar and SANY. The 8 million euro investment will facilitate what the company identifies as the growing demand for rail freight services and…

Poor reliability of Russian rail network pushes shippers onto trucks

Much like the rail and road modalities are clashing in Europe, with the ensuing discussions about rail’s competitiveness, Russia is having similar issues. A recent conference on the topic prompted a sector appeal to the government. The Russian rail freight sector protests the order of priority on the Russian network, on which freight takes last…