Latvian rail freight operator LDZ Cargo aims to expand its business operations in neighbouring Baltic countries. It has succeeded in winning public tenders in Estonia, and it has secured access to Lithuania’s public railway infrastructure for freight transportation. As per the company, the stated aim of the expansion is to become a regionally significant rail […]
Category: Rail freight
Germany: federal government approves amended rail budget cuts
The majority of the German coalition government has approved the proposed budgetary cuts for 2024. Concerns that rail transport would receive considerably less funds for the running year are now confirmed. Nevertheless, the situation is better than initially expected since the government made some essential adjustments. The expectation from the draft budget 2024 was that […]
Hope Valley Bamford loop passes with flying colours
The Hope Valley upgrade in the north of England is improving the railway between Manchester and Sheffield. The project is being promoted as a provision for more reliable and faster passenger journeys. However, the route is also vital to freight operations. It generates multiple flows from industrial plants and aggregates quarries. The latest part of […]
Hope Valley Bamford loop passes with flying colours
The Hope Valley upgrade in the north of England is improving the railway between Manchester and Sheffield. The project is being promoted as a provision for more reliable and faster passenger journeys. However, the route is also vital to freight operations. It generates multiple flows from industrial plants and aggregates quarries. The latest part of […]
2024 brings new Italy-Benelux rail freight connections
Freight convoys running between Italy and the Benelux region are increasing with the beginning of 2024. GTS Rail has increased its Bologna-Zeebrugge frequency from four to six weekly trains. Moreover, starting in February, Contship will upgrade from three to five weekly convoys between Milan and Rotterdam. Contship will implement this frequency increase as of 5 […]
After cutting subsidies, Germany also increases track access charges
DB InfraGo, which took over Germany’s rail network management effective January 2024, plans to increase track access charges by 13,4 per cent starting December 2024. The decision follows a substantial 49 per cent cut in subsidies for track access fees, which will probably occur during 2024. Peter Westenberger, managing director of the association DIE GÜTERBAHNEN, […]
Ukraine records rail freight growth thanks to sea corridor restoration
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) transported 148,4 million tonnes of cargo during 2023. Between March and December, monthly cargo volumes were 23 per cent higher on average than the previous year. The Ukrainian rail operator attributes freight volume growth to the restoration of the sea corridor in the Black Sea. The monthly average over the entirety of […]
The keys to longer, more precise payload calculations
In the face of an ever more competitive market, it’s nothing short of a bid to revolutionise rail freight by unlocking unrealised efficiency and sustainability in British operations. The independent Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) recently collaborated with UK-based Railfreight Consulting to pioneer a more scientific and quantitative approach to calculating maximum payloads. Their […]
Huge investments in Russian Far East rail are no break with the past
Russia is planning to invest record-breaking amounts in its Far East railway infrastructure. Unprecedented investments in the East in the coming years might be interpreted as a break with the past and a move away from the West. However, it is unlikely that these investments signal a significant change in policy. The new investments will […]