Hungarian rail association Hungrail warns against delays in the construction of the V0 railway. The railway is supposed to connect Hungary’s eastern and western regions on a dedicated freight line bypassing congested Budapest. Hungrail says that the V0 line is necessary to avoid economic collapse. The V0 line project aspires to improve rail logistics, increase…
Category: Rail freight
Amazon grows intermodal transport by 50% in Europe, but struggles to commit
American e-commerce giant Amazon has increased its intermodal transport in Europe by 50 per cent, with a large role for rail. This growth percentage is based on data from 2023. Spanish publication El Mercantil writes that 25 per cent of all goods travel via intermodal transport from Amazon’s hub in Zaragoza. The company uses that…
DB Cargo Italia ditches diesel, switches to HVO
DB Cargo Italia is currently in the process of implementing a switch from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel. All diesel-powered locomotives of the company will switch to HVO by the end of the summer. According to DB Cargo, HVO represents a more environmentally friendly and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. The Italian subsidiary…
METRANS launches new connection to Ukraine
METRANS has launched a new freight connection to Ukraine. The service will run between Poland and the Ukrainian town Mostyska. According to METRANS, the route connects its network to cities such as Kyiv and Odesa. European rail operator METRANS launched the new route during the Easter weekend. Trains will run between Dabrowa Gornicza in Poland…
Ukraine is building yet another European gauge track to the EU
Ukraine has started building yet another track to the border with the EU. The planned European-gauge track will run from Uzhhorod to Chop on the border with Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine started building a track from Lviv to Poland earlier this year. In the presence of the Prime Minister and the head of Ukrainian Railways,…
New Romanian rail terminal on Ukraine border starts testing operations
A new transshipment rail terminal has started testing operations in Romania. It will primarily streamline the shipping of agricultural goods to the port of Constanța. The terminal is located in Dornești, near the Ukrainian border. GRAMPET Group, a Romanian private rail freight carrier, announced the completion of construction works and the commencement of testing operations.…
All change for rail in Dublin due to post-Brexit freight boom
Passengers from the southeast Irish port of Rosslare could be forced to change trains on the way to Dublin. Growing traffic from the port and enhancements to the metro service around the Irish capital could leave through services struggling for train paths. A solution has been proposed by the Irish Government, which would require long-distance…
DAC: Digital Automatic Coupling or Digital Age Conundrum?
Currently, the common denominator concerning the implementation of the Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) in Europe seems to be confusion. A third DAC consortium, renamed DACFIT, was just formed by Deutsche Bahn (DB), which also plays a key role in the other two. However, a clear timetable is not yet available despite the EU envisioning a…
Austria starts 250,000 euro support scheme for single wagon transport in Tyrol
Austria has started a 250,000 support scheme for single wagon transport in Tyrol, bordering Italy. The programme has been in effect since 1 April. It is not supposed to be a one-time love affair with rail as it aims at a long-term modal shift breakup with the road. The scheme aims at “greater efficiency, a…
Vos Logistics starts R2L route in France: “A novelty, there are few solutions for silo trailers”
Vos Logistics is expanding its presence on the French market via a new Dourges-Vénissieux freight route with the help of VEGA’s R2L system. The system allows for the transfer of non-cranable silo-trailers from road to rail and vice versa. Vos Logistics is pragmatic, and a new route is already in the making. On 11 April,…