Hungary remains positive on BRI expecting more future benefits
Hungary addressed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a “clear success” despite the drop in China-Europe train volumes this year. On the one hand, the country is envisioned as a future Silk Road rail...Read more
Fret SNCF banned from Combined Transport services for 10 years
exclusive interviewThe French national rail freight company Fret SNCF is currently undergoing major changes to avoid sanctions from the European Commission (EC). RailFreight.com interviewed two spokespersons from the company. The main conclusion is that Fret SNCF...Read more
Romania opens its way for licensed Ukrainian grain
Romania will keep its border open for grain imported from Ukraine with additional measures. Ukrainian grain is currently facing an export crisis as neighbouring countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia decided to ban the...Read more
EC report: rail freight volumes grow, but modal share is dropping
The European Commission (EC) recently published the eighth monitoring report on the development of the rail market in Europe, with a focus on the 2015-2020 period. Despite various positive conclusions that may be drawn by...Read more
World’s oldest railway viaduct in multimillion pound restoration
It has carried Victorian-age freight trains through to the Carolean age expresses. Now, the almost two-hundred-year-old Sankey Viaduct is to get a makeover befitting the oldest viaduct serving the mechanised railway in the world. With...Read more
Making sense of the Middle Corridor in a post-war context
For forwarders focusing on containerised cargo volumes, using the Middle Corridor between China and Europe costs more than it brings. The route gained much exposure because of the war in Ukraine as an option to...Read more
Ukrainian Railways exceeds financial expectations for 2023
Ukrainian Railways exceeded financial expectations for 2023 by breaking even against all odds. The initial estimation of the company talked about around 20 billion UAH (515 million euros) of losses this year. However, currently, there...Read more
Five Silk Road connections added to fixed timetable
Five China-Europe rail connections have now been integrated into a fixed timetable by China Railways and will now be running on a weekly basis. Three of them concern westbound services, while the remaining two are...Read more
Cutting-edge tech freezes out leafs and leaves only rails on the line
Leaf-clearing trains are being deployed across Scotland this Autumn, with the technology to give leaves the cold shoulder. A blend of cutting-edge technology and specialised trains are on the tracks to ensure the network doesn’t...Read more
EU and Spain at odds about favouring rail over road
analysisSpain is negotiating with the European Union (EU) to unlock the funds included in the country’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), and rail freight is playing a crucial role. The EU wants Madrid to implement...Read more
Nominate your RailFreight Ambassador 2023
Are you a proud believer in rail transport between Europe and China? Have you recently added value to the New Silk Road, or have you been there since the very beginning? Are you considered a...Read more
Piraeus sends containers to Rijeka as Greek rail is far from operational
One of the main concerns resulting from the Greek rail network’s destruction by the floods of early September was the supply chain between the port of Piraeus and central Europe via rail. COSCO and its...Read more
MSC to take over 50 per cent of Renfe Mercancías
Shipping giant MSC has been selected to take over 50 per cent of the Spanish national rail freight operator Renfe Mercancías. The initiative is expected to help Renfe Merciancías’ operations and finances, given that the...Read more
China’s new 50-foot containers unlikely to be used on Silk Road
China has started using 50-foot containers for rail freight transportation. Currently, this is the largest container size in the Chinese logistic market, weighing 36 tonnes. Compared to the 40-foot container, the 50-foot container has a...Read more
New call for CEF investments now available for Ukraine and Moldova
A new round of calls for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme just opened. The call aims to support future infrastructure projects on railways, intermodal terminals and inland shipping, among other things, with seven...Read more
Freight challenge to England’s Burton-Leicester passenger plan
The UK infrastructure agency, Network Rail, has announced a revised plan for the Ivanhoe Line, a historic route that could link several communities (principally Coalville, Ashby and Burton) with Derby. The reopening project, which still...Read more
