“We don’t have time to wait – we need to act now”. This is the message of Egle Sime, CEO of the Lithuanian operator LTG Cargo. In her view, it’s not only the EU that needs to take legislative steps and enable the modal shift to rail. The rail freight sector should also take initiatives […]
Category: Policy
‘Germany is not short in money to keep financing railway projects’
Despite the significant budget cuts expected for the 2024-2027 period, Peter Westenberger, the managing director of the industry association Die Güternbahnen, is convinced that there are still enough funds to continue carrying out critical railway expansion and upgrade works in Germany. “There is no shortage of money in Germany,” he said, underlying that a Swiss […]
Polish farmers to block Ukrainian agricultural exports by rail
Polish farmers intend to block the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods by rail. They plan to hinder the transfer of goods from rail to road transport on the Polish side of the border. Protests against the import and transit of Ukrainian agricultural goods by road have been taking place for months, but will now also […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga
The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]
EU to invest 10 billion euros in Middle Corridor
The European Union is allocating 10 billion euros for the development of the so-called Middle Corridor. It has identified 33 infrastructure projects to be financed, among which are many rail projects. The EU hopes to create an alternative transport route that circumvents Russian infrastructure. The currently allocated 10 billion euros will be spent on infrastructure […]
EU cities urge Commission to make the right legislative decisions for rail
The European Committee of Regions (CoR) is entering the modal shift race with a clear message: European cities want to see the number of trucks circulating in their premises reduced. At the same time, they ask the EU to strengthen intermodal transport via rail and barge as the only way to meet decarbonisation goals and […]
Lithuania and Poland seek regular rail freight route to Ukraine
Lithuania and Poland have expressed their wish for a regular rail freight route to Ukraine. The respective ministers of transport met in Warsaw on Monday to discuss the issue. Such a new route would help establish a reliable corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain through Baltic ports. According to Lithuanian minister of transport Marius […]
Sanctions cause locomotive shortage in Russia
Russian Railways (RZD) is facing a shortage of locomotives. The shortage is reportedly caused by a lack of importable spare parts due to Western sanctions. The situation has become particularly problematic in the fourth quarter of 2023. The locomotive shortage came to light in a statistics report by RZD, according to Russian publication Vedomosti. A […]