Bradshaw Address: UK modal shift port incentives should be extended, says Rail Minister

There is a pioneering scheme at the Port of Southampton, encouraging intermodal logistics customers to switch their loads from road to rail. That scheme should be rolled out across the UK. Rail minister Huw Merriman wants that if the ruling Conservative Party is returned to power in the forthcoming general election. That was a key […]

Estonian Operail announces full privatisation in order to save itself

Estonian national rail operator Operail has announced a new business strategy that involves full privatisation. The privatisation is a necessary step to find additional financial sources. According to the company, privatisation will also enable the expansion of operations into foreign markets. Operail has been struggling financially after the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. […]

Rail beats uLEZ for London’s express logistics

It’s rare for rail freight to make the mainstream pages of the newspapers, at least for the right reasons. However, the hot topic of express logistics has captured the imagination of the British press, with pioneering Varamis Rail hitting the headlines. The coverage comes hot on the tracks of their new service, connecting Birmingham and […]

Stadler to produce 130 electric freight locomotives for Spanish operators

Stadler will produce 130 electric freight locomotives for various Spanish operators. The company intends to supply the trains between 2024 and 2026. Currently, Spain operates between 400 and 500 freight locomotives. The company has signed contracts with nearly all of the country’s railway operators for the delivery of ‘Euro6000’ electric freight locomotives and aims to […]

Russia and China see record rail freight volumes in 2023

Russia and China have reached a new record rail freight volume between the two countries. The total freight volume going through Russia’s Far East border crossings grew by 26 per cent from 2022, amounting to nearly 44 million tonnes. This number includes traffic to and from Mongolia. The total freight volume among all transport modalities […]

Manifesto for Rail to be keynote at George Bradshaw Address

Prioritise getting freight off roads and onto rail is the unsurprising manifesto pledge from Rail Partners, the influential policy and lobby group, representing operators in the freight and passenger sectors in the UK rail industry. They have published a new document, “Manifesto for Rail – A five-point plan to create a thriving railway”. The manifesto […]

Kazakhstan calls for Kazakh Railways reform after frequent rail fee hikes

The parliament of Kazakhstan wants to reform its national rail operator Kazakh Railways (KTZ). The parliament filed a request to remove infrastructure management from the company’s competencies and to increase procedural and strategic transparency. The request follows years of rail fee hikes that raise concern about the country’s competitiveness. As rail freight increasingly transits Kazakhstan […]

Kazakhstan calls for Kazakh Railways reform after frequent rail fee hikes

The parliament of Kazakhstan wants to reform its national rail operator Kazakh Railways (KTZ). The parliament filed a request to remove infrastructure management from the company’s competencies and to increase procedural and strategic transparency. The request follows years of rail fee hikes that raise concern about the country’s competitiveness. As rail freight increasingly transits Kazakhstan […]

‘Virtual coupling’: new technology increases Russian railway capacity

‘Virtual coupling’, a new technology being applied by Russian Railways, is showing tangible results. The technology automates the distance between two consecutive trains. It allows for more efficient use of space on the railways and is being used increasingly often. According to Russian Railways (RZD), the technology facilitates maximum exploitation of the railways’ throughput capacity. […]