The European Commission (EC) approved a scheme for 1.7 billion euros to support single wagonload and wagon group transport in Germany until 2029. “The maximum annual budget amounts to €320 million”, the EC specified. The measure aims at ensuring that these types of transport and the companies operating them do not cease to exist due…
Author: Marco Raimondi
‘Our situation is worse than I thought’, says PKP Cargo President
The Polish state-owned rail operator, PKP Cargo, might be nearing the end of its life due to years of mismanagement and the inability to adapt to a changing market. The current Acting President of the company, Marcin Wojewódka, said that the situation is worse than expected, with both volumes and share values dropping significantly and…
Combined transport in Europe in 2023 down by 10%
Combined transport in Europe in 2023 dropped by 10.57 per cent the number of consignments transported and by 9.39 per cent in the tonne-kilometre performance. This means that these volumes are roughly back at pre-COVID 19 levels after four years of moderate growth between 2019 and 2022. UIRR said this downward trend was caused by…
From sail to rail: groundbreaking transatlantic route in the making
Lahaye Global Logistics and Grain de Sail, both French companies, are collaborating on a new type of intermodal service connecting the Americas to France. The maritime leg of the route is being carried out by Grain de Sail via sailboats, while Lahaye takes care of the land transport via road and rail. The first round…
Freight wagons in northern Italy knocked over by strong winds
For the second year in a row, the month of May is bringing waves of bad weather in northern Italy which disrupt the country’s rail freight industry. A few wagons of a convoy near Borgo Mantovano, a town between Verona and Bologna, was knocked over by the strong winds. “I have never seen freight trains…
Closed tunnel on Spain-France route poses problems for rail freight
Rail traffic along the Madrid-Irún line, which connects the Spanish capital to France and is part of the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor, has been halted since 8 May due to a damaged tunnel. The line was supposed to reopen on Monday 20 May, but new information says this will not happen before Saturday 25 May. This…
Closed tunnel on Spain-France route poses problems for rail freight
Rail traffic along the Madrid-Irún line, which connects the Spanish capital to France and is part of the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor, has been halted since 8 May due to a damaged tunnel. The line was supposed to reopen on Monday 20 May, but new information says this will not happen before Saturday 25 May. This…
Swiss Council asks for public funds to invest in private rail freight facilities
The Swiss Federal Council is asking for 188,8 million euros (185 million francs) for investments in private rail freight facilities, such as terminals and sidings, between 2025 and 2028. Applicants would have to commit to finance at least 40 per cent of the project they want to subsidise with these funds. The money would come…
HHLA off to a rocky start in 2024, last year’s trends continue
HHLA’s intermodal services experienced a “significant decrease in volumes” in the first quarter of 2024. Rail transport fell by 3,2 per cent, while container transport decreased by 5,5 per cent compared to the same period last year. The EBITDA in HHLA’s intermodal segment also dropped significantly in these three months, with a 21,7 per cent…
UPS and CargoBeamer expand partnership with new test service
CargoBeamer and UPS are cooperating on an intermodal service connecting Italy to Greece. The two companies ran a successful test which entailed rail transport between Domodossola and Bari, crossing Italy from north to south, and a ferry connection to Patras, in northern Greece. This is not the first test run involving UPS and CargoBeamer. In…