Fear of a rail blockade is leading Russia to build three additional rail ferries for its Kaliningrad exclave. The country’s westernmost region is surrounded by EU and NATO member states which control all railways into and out of the region. Russia is now looking to move its rail freight by sea in order to guarantee […]
Category: Rail freight
Old locomotives out and a new managing director in for DRS
UK freight operator Direct Rail Services has announced it is retiring its fleet of class 37 diesel locomotives. The elderly units, approaching 60 years in service, are being replaced by brand-new diesels and bi-modes. The company says it marks the end of an era for the rail industry. The decision comes as part of DRS’s […]
Cowley branch is another project for Oxford
A little-used freight line in suburban Oxford is a step closer to being resurrected as a mixed-traffic route. The Cowley branch, which serves the car manufacturing plant of the same name, has seen the local authority, Oxford City Council, award an Infrastructure Place Study contract to Birmingham headquartered SLC Rail. The Cowley branch line was […]
Cowley branch is another project for Oxford
A little-used freight line in suburban Oxford is a step closer to being resurrected as a mixed-traffic route. The Cowley branch, which serves the car manufacturing plant of the same name, has seen the local authority, Oxford City Council, award an Infrastructure Place Study contract to Birmingham headquartered SLC Rail. The Cowley branch line was […]
EU Commission wants to extend trade liberalisation agreements for Ukraine
The European Commission wants to extend the measures concerning the liberalisation of agricultural trade between the EU and Ukraine. David Clarinval, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, the country holding the EU presidency, said that Member States will soon receive information about the initiative. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis added the Commission will present amendments to […]
Freight constrained by HS2 cutback, say industry chiefs
Tim Shoveller, chief executive of Freightliner, has issued a warning. He says HS2 will add to congestion, and not solve it. The cutback version of the high-speed rail network will actually add traffic to the West Coast Main Line. That railway is already the busiest mixed-traffic route in Europe. The abandonment of the Birmingham and […]
Azerbaijan goes ahead with Zangezur Corridor railway construction
Azerbaijan is actively constructing a railway in the direction of the ‘Zangezur Corridor’. The railway is reportedly about halfway to completion. With the railway, Azerbaijan is looking to open up a free movement corridor through southern Armenia to connect with its exclave Nakhchivan. The new route could be part of the ‘Middle Corridor’ land route […]
Kyrgyzstan struggles to find money for CKU line construction
Kyrgyzstan is looking for money to build its part of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway line. In an interview about the country’s debt situation, the president reassured the people that no unfeasible loans would be taken. Where the money for the CKU line is going to come from remains unclear. While Kyrgyzstan is willing to take […]
Freight paths are the key to faster London to Edinburgh services
Preserving access for freight is vital to a plan to speed up passenger services on the East Coast Main Line. The government-backed train operating company LNER wants to cut around thirty minutes off the journey, reducing the capital’s connection to a few minutes more than four hours. However, route availability between London and Edinburgh is […]