Webinar recap: three updates for the Silk Road situation
War in Ukraine has made the transit route via Russia a delicate choice. Legal-wise, most of the products can still be transhipped via rail crossing Russia; in practice, European companies remain critical and hesitant to...Read more
Italian Deputy Prime Minister says Parliament is keen on leaving BRI
Antonio Tajani, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed that “the large part of the Italian Parliament is in favour of withdrawing” from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He added...Read more
Kazakhstan takes actions to increase Caspian Sea capacity
Two Kazakh ports, Aktau and Kuryk, have become significantly important for intermodal traffic via the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan’s railway network. However, they still face substantial challenges, namely the port infrastructure and the declining Caspian...Read more
Several Central Asian destinations become part of RCG’s network
ÖBB Rail Cargo Group is expanding its Eurasian network, focusing on Central Asia. The Austria-based company now serves several markets in the region, offering two different connection routes that follow the Middle Corridor.Read more
China Railways launches official China Europe Express portal
China Railways has launched its first official online portal serving the China Europe Express. The portal, on the one hand, will publish statistics about China Europe Express operations. On the other hand, forwarders can directly...Read more
Are Middle Corridor volumes growing or dropping after all?
Is the Middle Corridor growing? In theory, it looks like so. The port of Poti witnessed an 80 per cent increase in containerised cargo volumes eastbound alone. Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) experienced an 86 per cent...Read more
Maersk puts Central Asian markets in the spotlight with new service
After a long time, Maersk returned to the forefront of Eurasian connections. The global shipping player launched a new intermodal service connecting the port of Poti in Georgia with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan using the Middle...Read more
Can there be an India-Middle East-Europe corridor without Turkey?
ANALYSISThe recent confirmation of the US and EU-led plan to establish an India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which will also be of great rail transport and logistics significance, has received the first backlash. Turkey’s President Recep...Read more
Sanctioned containers detained in Małaszewicze, are you in trouble?
“Around 100 containers are detained in Małaszewicze due to inspection of sanctioned goods,” Miłosz Witkowski, Rail director of Polish Forwarding Company, shared with RailFreight.com earlier this month. The detained containers are suspicious of transporting dual-use...Read more
Davies Turner sets up eastbound UK to China rail service
UK logistics and freight forwarding company Davies Turner has announced the inauguration of a pioneering eastbound consol container service. It marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to enhancing global trade connections, not least...Read more
G20 confirms US and EU ambitions for major new Eurasian corridor
The recent G20 summit in India functioned as a platform to unfold the ambitious plans of a new economic and transport corridor in the context of the G7-EU-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment initiative....Read more
Caspian Sea low water levels a concern for Middle Corridor operations
The Caspian Sea waters have reached critically low levels, a development that could be a reason for concern for Middle Corridor operations. The water depth has decreased by 7.1 per cent at the side of...Read more
Kazakh grain exported to China could double in 2024
Kazakhstan’s grain export volumes to China could double in 2024, in line with the Alashankou border crossing’s capacity doubling for grain transportation. Another border crossing, the Khorgos terminal, will also stimulate grain transportation capacity by...Read more
China sets up new consolidation centre in Kazakhstan
China has started the operation of a new consolidation centre located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The new location will service the “Qilu” China Europe trains, connecting Almaty with Jinan in eastern China in seven days. The...Read more
Kazakhstan sees Middle Corridor volumes increase by 86%
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) has seen Middle Corridor volumes grow by 86 per cent for the first seven months of this year compared to 2022. The total volume amounted to 1.6 million tons, with the export...Read more
Could investments in Hungary twist China-Europe connections?
Debrecen completed the first phase of its railway modernisation in its industrial park worth 168 million euros last week, making it accessible by rail. This eastern Hungarian city has recently been spotlighted for new energy...Read more
Italy: Government and industry might not be on the same page on BRI
The situation concerning Italy and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is getting hotter as the deadline to make a decision approaches. Over the weekend, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said that...Read more
UK record breaker: from Xi’an to Essex in just two weeks
There’s a new Silk Road express on the rails. Davies Turner, who style themselves as the leading independent UK freight forwarder, have broken their own record for intermodal freight transit between China and the UK....Read more
Vietnam might connect to Kazakhstan with new terminals
Vietnam could potentially develop multiple new intermodal terminals in Kazakhstan, according to a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) and the Vietnamese investment group Sovico. Yerzhan Nauruzbayev, director of KTZ Business...Read more