The Polish Federation of Independent Rail Operators (ZNPK) asked the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure for a gradual reduction of Track Access Charges over the next five years. The final goal would be to have them reduced by 50 per cent to increase the competitiveness of rail freight. According to ZNPK’s head Michał Litwin, the Polish…
Author: Marco Raimondi
Valencia-Madrid rolling highway enters test phase
The rolling highway service between Valencia and Madrid is one step closer to starting operations. The first testing phase started over the weekend, with Tramesa, one of the headliners of the project, underlining that it will not be an easy task. The deployment of the rolling highway between Valencia and Madrid was announced in the…
Valencia-Madrid rolling highway enters test phase
The rolling highway service between Valencia and Madrid is one step closer to starting operations. The first testing phase started over the weekend, with Tramesa, one of the headliners of the project, underlining that it will not be an easy task. The deployment of the rolling highway between Valencia and Madrid was announced in the…
Belgian regions and banks to provide 46 million euros to save Lineas
The Belgian regions of Flanders and Wallonia are joining forces in an effort to keep Lineas, the main rail freight operator in the country, alive. The two regions, with a couple of Belgian banks, will provide a total of 46 million euros to keep the company financially afloat. Lineas has been struggling financially, mostly due…
Deutsche Bahn selects four finalists for DB Schenker sale
Deutsche Bahn (DB) has chosen the four finalists for the sale of DB Schenker. The last contenders are Danish shipping giants Maersk and DSV, the Saudi national shipping carrier Bahri and a partnership between investments funds CVC Capital Partners, Carlyle Group and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This means that MSC is no longer in…
Deutsche Bahn selects four finalists for DB Schenker sale
Deutsche Bahn (DB) has chosen the four finalists for the sale of DB Schenker. The last contenders are Danish shipping giants Maersk and DSV, the Saudi national shipping carrier Bahri and a partnership between investments funds CVC Capital Partners, Carlyle Group and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This means that MSC is no longer in…
TAC increases across Europe might kill rail freight operators
Track Access Charges (TACs) are on the rise in many European countries. For many rail freight operators this is a massive burden that could threaten their very existence, as their Ability-to-pay is basically null. RailFreight.com had a chat with Andrea Giuricin, transport economist at the University of Milan Bicocca, to better understand this trend and…
Metrans’ terminal in Slovakia just got bigger
Metrans, the rail freight subsidiary of HHLA, expanded its terminal in Dunajská Streda, near the Slovakian border with Hungary. The terminal now has 50,000 extra square metres of space which will be used for container repairing, storaging, and washing. One of the terminal’s main connection is to Halkali, west of Instanbul, Turkey. It was launched…
China-Europe: railways are congested and container rates are spiking
China-Europe trade corridors are currently facing some significant issues concerning container rates as well as congestion along the railways. Concerning rail freight, congestion concerns the Alashankou and Khorgos border crossings between China and Kazakhstan. Moreover, some issues are starting to surface at the Małaszewicze border crossing in Poland. Rail congestion is having a serious impact…
Lithuania’s LTG Group to ditch Russian locomotive safety system
As another step towards EU integration, the Lithuanian railway holding LTG Group will replace its current Russian KLUB-U locomotive safety system. The new one will be developed by SRPA Impulse, a Ukrainian company which already had similar projects in Bulgaria and Estonia. In total, 163 locomotives will have their system replaced, including 111 for rail…