The UK avoided a freight disaster forty years ago, thanks to a brilliant, but modest signalman. Commemoration has been made for the quick thinking and potentially life saving actions of Willie Taylor. On the fortieth anniversary of his actions, Carlisle Signalman Willie Taylor has been honoured with a locomotive named in his memory at Carlisle…
Category: Rail freight
Ukrainian Railways grows exports by 48,8%
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) has exported 30,4 million tonnes of goods between January and April 2024. This is 48,8 per cent more than during the same period last year. PKP LHS, operating between Poland and Ukraine, shows a similar trend. “In 2024, one of our priorities is to increase the volume of cargo transportation, in particular…
German rail companies start lawsuit after planned 16,2% TAC increase
Eleven German rail companies are going to court over an approved 16,2 per cent track-access charge (TAC) increase. The new TAC rate would go into force from mid-December, but the eleven companies are now aiming to prevent that from happening. The approved 16,2 per cent TAC increase would be a bigger jump than all increases…
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…
Another Ukraine-Lithuania rail freight connection is in the works
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) and the Lithuanian railway holding LTG Group agreed to develop a new freight service between Kyiv and Klaipėda. “The first test runs of the intermodal cargo transportation route are planned for this year”, LTG added. The initiative is still in its early stages, as a Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed by…
Onrail to take over Oslo-Narvik route, gains DB Schenker as customer
Norwegian rail operator Onrail will take over the Oslo-Narvik freight route. The company will now gain DB Schenker as a customer. Other companies did not manage to propose financially attractive enough deals to the German logistics company. At the moment, the freight route from Oslo to the northern Norwegian port town of Narvik is being…
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…