Russia has launched a rail freight service through occupied Ukrainian territories. It started working on a direct rail line to Crimea over land last year. On 15 March, Russia reported that the freight route between Rostov-on-Don and Crimea started operating. According to Oleg Kalevatykh, the deputy head of ‘Novorossiya Railways’, the first train on the…
Category: Rail freight
Sweden to upgrade Iron Ore Line after derailments and NATO accession
Sweden has decided to upgrade the Iron Ore Line, or Malmbanan in Swedish. The upgrades are necessary due to two recent derailments. Moreover, the country’s NATO accession requires the rail line to function properly at all times. The railway line in Sweden’s north is crucial for mining and military purposes. The Iron Ore Line stretches…
FESCO signs rail agreements with 5 Chinese logistics companies
Russian logistics company FESCO has signed agreements with five Chinese logistics companies. The agreements, by and large, concern rail freight. FESCO has entered into agreements with five Chinese logistics companies. The Russian company signed an agreement with Weisa International Logistics Group, in which the two companies agree to work together for rail freight optimisation on…
Mixed passenger and freight trains could soon be seen in the Netherlands
Combined passenger and goods rail transport can help utilise transport capacity more efficiently. A joint report published recently states that such services could be introduced in the Netherlands starting in 2030. Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and the engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV conducted the study on…
Kazakh exporters worried as KTZ plans another fee hike
Kazakh Railways (KTZ) wants to raise its fees for rail freight. The rail operator and infrastructure manager points to its outstanding debt as the culprit for a potential price hike. KTZ earlier received criticism for frequently raising its fees. Kazakh exporters are worried about their competitiveness. KTZ applied to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy…
Mercitalia Fast is not coming back
Mercitalia Fast, the high-speed rail freight service launched by the Italian national rail freight company will not be reinstated. The locomotives used by Mercitalia Rail for this service were returned to its passenger counterpart Trenitalia, all part of the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) Group. The service was interrupted in late 2022, with FS saying it…
Lack of Baltic commercial operators hinders intermodality, says Samskip
A lack of commercial operators hinders the development of intermodal routes in the Baltics, according to Dutch logistics company Samskip. The company would like to create an extended rail link to rail for its new shortsea service to Klaipeda, but the absence of commercially operated intermodal routes proves to be a major hindrance. However, the…
Freight could return in Waterloo revamp
A joint future vision for London Waterloo station and its surrounding area has been revealed. The British infrastructure agency Network Rail, and the Borough of Lambeth Council, the local authority for the area, are collaborating on the plan. Waterloo is the biggest passenger station in the UK and, until recently, was the busiest too. The…
Khorgos grain terminal starts operating in test mode
A new grain terminal has been opened in Khorgos on the Kazakh-Chinese border. The terminal is currently operating in test mode. In the future, local authorities plan to increase storage capacity twentyfold, up to one million tonnes. In the special economic zone of Khorgos, the new grain terminal has begun accepting grain wagons. It facilitates…
Shortages delay and suspend nearly 50,000 trains in Russia
Russian rail maintenance companies are struggling to acquire enough spare parts to service locomotives. They also face a shortage of highly educated staff. As a result, Russian Railways (RZD) has had to suspend or delay almost 50,000 trains throughout 2023. In comparison to 2022, the amount of delayed or suspended trains due to a lack…