Category: Infrastructure

What spurs the international effort to bridge Afghanistan via rail?

Countries in Afghanistan’s vicinity have grown an interest in developing its rail infrastructure. More and more projects are being launched, or are at the very least being considered, that would elevate the country to an international “rail bridge” to the Indian Ocean. What are these projects, and what motivates these countries? As the desert dust…

What spurs the international effort to bridge Afghanistan via rail?

Countries in Afghanistan’s vicinity have grown an interest in developing its rail infrastructure. More and more projects are being launched, or are at the very least being considered, that would elevate the country to an international “rail bridge” to the Indian Ocean. What are these projects, and what motivates these countries? As the desert dust…

Russia approves 3,7 trillion ruble Far East rail modernisation

Russia has approved further modernisation works of railway infrastructure in its Far Eastern region. On the 50-year anniversary of the so-called Baikal-Amur line (BAM), the country confirmed that it will be spending 3,7 trillion rubles to boost throughput capacity to 270 million tonnes by 2032. The approved investments are part of the third stage of…

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway to open for traffic in two weeks

Freight trains will start running along the newly renovated Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway on 20 May 2024. The plan is to turn the line into the main artery of the Middle Corridor and further boost Eurasian rail freight transport, according to Roshvan Rustamov, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY). Rustamov mentioned that the works on the Georgian…

Bank Holiday Disruption for passengers travelling from London and Birmingham

Passengers travelling from London Euston, London Marylebone and Birmingham New Street are being warned of bank holiday travel disruption this weekend

French region eyes six-fold increase in rail freight via targeted investment

France’s Brittany region plans to increase its rail freight traffic six-fold by 2050, reaching nine million tonnes of goods transported. To achieve this, the regional public authority, the French State and rail network manager SNCF Réseau are implementing a multi-year investment programme until 2027, totalling 64 million euros. It compares to a previous rail freight…

DB Cargo Scandinavia completes freight pilot to Danish port of Hirtshals

DB Cargo Scandinavia completed a freight train test to the northern Danish Port of Hirtshals on 2 May. The rail operator ran the test to demonstrate the feasibility of an intermodal freight route between continental Europe and Norway. As part of the “Green Jutland Corridor”, a green logistics project that aims to connect Norway, Sweden…

DB begins 1.6 billion euro expansion of Hanau-Gelnhausen line

In a bid to fortify the rail system in Hesse, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has embarked on a 1.6 billion euro project to expand the 23-kilometre-long Hanau–Gelnhausen line to four tracks. The initiative, aimed at enhancing both passenger and freight transportation, received its official commencement during an on-site gathering in Gelnhausen on Monday. The expansion, a…

The Middle Corridor remains too expensive as an alternative China-Europe route

The Middle Corridor, a multimodal China-Europe freight route through Central Asia, has garnered international interest as a potential alternative to transporting freight through Russia. Illustratively, the EU has allocated 10 billion euros for its development. The corridor remains too expensive to become a route of preference, explains Roland Verbraak, general manager of BTTMultimodalGroup. BTT, a…