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 […]
Category: Policy
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 […]
UK rail freight: will a socialist swing be a sunrise and a good thing?
There is a political turning of the tide expected in the UK. A general election is imminent. The right-wing Conservatives are expected to relinquish the reins of power to the left-wing Labour Party. That would allow the socialists to put their radically different ideas into action. A shake-up for rail freight could be dawning. After […]
Germany: long-term infrastructure projects also affected by budget cuts
The German Federal Government has officially approved the reduced transport budget for 2024. After some amendments in the sums to be cut and the sectors they will affect, the German parliament greenlit it. In addition to reduced financial support for the current year, the German rail sector will also be affected by cuts in long-term […]
Who stands to benefit from the Weights and Dimensions Directive?
The Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD) is one of the pillars of the Greening Freight Package (GFP), a bundle of measures proposed by the European Union to make all modes of transport more sustainable. However, finding a solution that satisfies all the parties involved seems to remain a Herculean task, as none of the various […]