The Spanish transport ministry is putting out a tender for a feasibility study for the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc rail line between France and Spain, as well as a direct connection of the line with the Mediterranean Corridor. The study is supposed to research the effect of the infrastructure plans on the circulation of goods…
Category: Rail freight
NGOs express concerns over new Italy-China rail freight service
A new rail freight service for the import of agricultural product was recently established from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China to the Italian city of Salerno, near Naples. However, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are saying that some of the cargo coming from the Chinese region may be the…
NGOs express concerns over new Italy-China rail freight service
A new rail freight service for the import of agricultural product was recently established from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China to the Italian city of Salerno, near Naples. However, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are saying that some of the cargo coming from the Chinese region may be the…
Construction on CKU line to start in October 2024
Construction on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) rail line will start in October 2024, according to Kyrgyz president Sadyr Zhaparov. Negotiations on the line have been long ongoing, and many uncertainties around financing remain. The CKU line is supposed to shorten travel times between China and Europe by 8 days and reduce the distance by 900 kilometres.…
SNCF chief to step down amid retirement deal controversy
Jean-Pierre Farandou, the current chief of the French railway holding SNCF, will step down on 13 May. However, he will maintain his position until a successor is named, which will be after the Paris Olympic Games coming this summer. Farandou has been under the spotlight over the past couple of days after France’s Finance and…
New Italy-Serbia service for the sake of intermodality
A new intermodal rail freight service connecting the Cervignano Intermodal Terminal, near Trieste, and the Pančevo Dry Port Terminal, near Belgrade, will start operations on 11 May. The service can be seen as the evolution of a block train service which was running between the terminal in Italy and the Indija terminal in Serbia. A…
Intelligence agencies warn of Russian plans to sabotage EU rails
European intelligence agencies are warning that Russia is on course for more acts of sabotage in the EU. Among a wide range of possible targets is also rail infrastructure. Earlier derailments in Sweden may have been such acts of sabotage. Intelligence officials believe that Russia has stepped up its preparations for bombings, arson and infrastructure…
GBRf Locomotive named after reluctant hero signalman
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…
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…