A petition to ban the export of manganese ore to Russia is picking up the pace in Latvia. The public initiative gathered a third of the required signatures for a parliamentary debate in a single week. The Latvian rail sector has suffered from sanctions on Russia, but public opinion is heavily in favour of them.…
Category: Policy
Russia starts rail freight service through occupied Ukrainian land
Russia has launched a rail freight service through occupied Ukrainian territories. It started working on a direct rail line to Crimea over land last year. On 15 March, Russia reported that the freight route between Rostov-on-Don and Crimea started operating. According to Oleg Kalevatykh, the deputy head of ‘Novorossiya Railways’, the first train on the…
Kazakh exporters worried as KTZ plans another fee hike
Kazakh Railways (KTZ) wants to raise its fees for rail freight. The rail operator and infrastructure manager points to its outstanding debt as the culprit for a potential price hike. KTZ earlier received criticism for frequently raising its fees. Kazakh exporters are worried about their competitiveness. KTZ applied to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy…
DB Cargo to be divided into six units?
The German state-owned rail freight operator is facing an uncertain future due to significant losses and proceedings from the European Commission (EC). In an attempt to become profitable, DB Cargo might be divided into six divisions dedicated to different types of transport. The initiative was shared by German media RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND), which cites a…
France’s rail freight sector voices strong opposition to ‘mega’ trucks
France’s rail freight sector has voiced strong opposition to the European Union’s move to introduce ‘mega’ lorries of more than 25 metres in length and weighing up to 60 tonnes. Trucks in France currently have a maximum length and weight of 19 metres and 40 tonnes, respectively. Speaking on French TV, Alexandre Gallo, President and […]
SBB’s black results cannot hide single wagonload financial bleed-out
The Swiss SBB Group brought its finances back to the black in 2023 for the first time since 2019. Strong passenger transport performance led the Group’s recovery. Cargo performance was still in the red for 2023, despite the closing gap of losses (-40 million francs against -191 million francs in 2022). At the same time, […]
Italy might cancel an incentive for rail freight rolling stock
An incentive regarding the acquisition of rail rolling stock in Italy is on the verge of being cancelled, despite the funds being already allocated and having generated huge investments. “We lack certainty about the rules”, Fermerci general manager Giuseppe Rizzi told RailFreight.com. The amount being cut is 70 million euros, and it would be retroactive […]
EU Parliament’s plenary says yes to ‘monstertrucks’ after all
With a marginal majority (300 votes against 295), the European Parliament has approved the legislative proposals of the Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). In practice, this means that the Parliament approved, among other things, the circulation of gigaliner trucks and the use of heavier trucks diesel-powered trucks […]