Rail freight transit through Russia to the EU is nearly back at its pre-war level. As Houthi attacks endanger shipping on the Red Sea, shippers are looking for alternative routes. Consequently, the volume of China-EU freight that travels via Russian rail grew by 44 per cent in 2024. According to Russian media, the volume of…
Category: Rail freight
Czechia warns: Russia is trying to sabotage European rail
The Czech transport minister has warned that Russia is trying to sabotage European rail. The minister said that Russia has made thousands of attempts to destabilise the EU and undermine critical infrastructure since the start of its war in Ukraine. It is not the first time a European official warned of Russian sabotage. Czech transport…
GBRf Southampton to Hams Hall service begins today
GB Railfreight is making good on its promise to introduce a raft of new services and expand its operations. The company inaugurated a new Southampton Docks to Birmingham Hams Hall intermodal service today, Monday, 8 April, operating daily from the south coast port. The service falls within the distance limit to qualify for the DP…
Operail Finland sale was 12 million euro “gift” to Finnish business
Estonia lost 12,3 million euros with the sale of the Finnish branch of Operail. Last year, it sold Operail Finland, the former name of the subsidiary, to Nurminen Logistics. Estonia sold the subsidiary at a price below its fair value, leading to allegations of a secret sale. As part of the privatisation of Operail, Estonia…
Derailment makes triple Friday headache for British network
A triumvirate of deep depressions hit British railways on Friday. Commuters into London Paddington and airline travellers heading for Heathrow were grounded by a freight train derailment just after sunrise. In addition, pickets were on duty at Euston and elsewhere, in pursuit of the latest strike by drivers. To cap it all, there was a…
Russian rail exports of petrol halved following embargo
Russian exports of petrol via rail have been halved in March. The export reduction follows an embargo that the Kremlin introduced. It implemented the embargo to curb domestic fuel shortages. Russia introduced a fuel export ban on 1 March. The ban aims to mitigate the country’s ongoing fuel shortage, which has led to rising prices.…
CEVA Logistics’ new Dunkirk auto hub enters service complete with rail spur
CEVA Logistics has begun operations this week at its new finished vehicle logistics (FVL) hub at the Port of Dunkirk. The hub is equipped with a rail spur and connects to maritime import and export trade flows to and from the northern French port. The hub also comprises vehicle reception and storage areas, as well…
The ball is in Poland’s court for new broad gauge line with Ukraine
It is up to the Polish parliament to enable investments for a 1,520 mm gauge line with Ukraine. If the legislature passes a required resolution, it could pave the (rail)way for such a line. The line would help boost Ukrainian grain exports and potentially be profitable for Poland. The Polish legislature has the opportunity to…
Direct Rail Services roll out new fleet of JNA-Z box wagons
A fleet of 25 brand new JNA-Z box wagons from VTG Rail UK, the British arm of the multi-national freight wagon supplier, has entered traffic for Direct Rail Services (DRS). The wagons were built by WH Davis at its Shirebrook facility in Derbyshire, England. They will be operated by Nuclear Transport Solutions’ (NTS) rail division…
ScanMed corridor sees 2024 rebound
The Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor (ScanMed) is experiencing a rebound in volume and performance in 2024. The infrastructure managers (IMs) of the involved countries attribute the rebound primarily to completion of works along the corridor. ScanMed saw route sales along the corridor grow until 2021. By 2023, sales had more than halved. The IMs’ annual report now…