End titles: Italy walks out of BRI agreement with China
The Italian government has officially announced that it is leaving China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The agreement binding the two countries within BRI would end in March 2024. However, Italy informed the Chinese side...Read more
How far is the INSTC in reaching its volume targets?
Cargo transit via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has already exceeded 10 million tons this year. The Iranian Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, Shahriyar Afandizadeh, shared the information. With this figure in...Read more
Rail freight in China-Russia Far East borders grows thanks to new bridge
Rail freight volumes moved between China and Russia through the Far East increased by 22 per cent in the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, as Russian Railways (RZD)...Read more
Martin Koubek crowned RailFreight Ambassador 2023
European Silk Road Summit 2023We have been in search of the next RailFreight Ambassador, and today, at the European Silk Road Summit 2023 in Budapest, the winner was finally announced. We are proud to crown Martin Koubek, Director Silk...Read more
‘The Middle Corridor can fulfil different but equally valuable roles’
European Silk Road Summit 2023“Here is an idea. Why not make the Middle Corridor a humanitarian corridor to transport essential goods such as food, energy, health (medical, pharmaceuticals etc)? These goods are always and critically needed, and the Middle...Read more
Fesco to build a new terminal on Russia-China border
Russian logistics giant Fesco is planning to build a container terminal in Zabaykalsk, near the Russian borders with China and Mongolia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev “instructed Russian Railways (RZD) to speed up the...Read more
Products from Thailand are soon to be on their way to Europe via rail
The first official rail freight service between China and Thailand is a fact. The inaugural train departed on 17 November from Chengdu, and by now, it should already have reached its destination in Map Ta...Read more
China-Russia electric car transport volumes increasingly turn to rail
This year seems to be the year of rail for electric vehicle (EV) transport between China and Russia. The Russian Federal Customs Office revealed that Russian electric vehicle imports increased by 250 per cent in...Read more
Vietnam and Russia want to bring rail freight volumes back to pre-2022
Delegates from Russia, China, and Vietnam met to discuss the development of rail freight connectivity between them. Since 2022, in fact, containers moved by rail on the Hanoi-Moscow axis have been dropping significantly.Read more
Outlook 2024: container surplus and China +1 keep affecting transport
The current year has been quite challenging for the transport industry for an array of reasons: geopolitics, inflation and an imbalance between demand and supply all played their part. Container prices have dropped immensely, increasing...Read more
KTZ is building a new line to China to bypass congested Almaty
Construction of a new railway line in the Almaty area, in the southeast of Kazakhstan near the Chinese border. According to Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ), this line will create a bypass avoiding the Almaty station, currently...Read more
Meet the speakers of the European Silk Road Summit 2023
The programme of the European Silk Road Summit in Budapest is complete! With 23 speakers from all over the world the 7th edition of this industry event is set to become a success.Read more
Construction of joint Kazakh-Chinese terminal starts in Almaty
A new rail logistics terminal in Kazakhstan’s Almaty has entered the construction phase. The project is developed by KTZ together with China’s Xi’an Dry Port. The purpose is to create a terminal that will function...Read more
Six EU countries want to join the Middle Corridor in view of major energy project
The Kazakh Transport Minister, Marat Karabayev, disclosed that six EU countries, including Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Hungary, have recently expressed interest in becoming official members of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) association....Read more
Russian rail freight sector grows steadily this year
The Russian rail freight sector is steadily growing this year thanks to its almost complete re-orientation in the Eastern direction and the ongoing adaptation of Russian economics from the sanctions and their consequences.Read more
Rail-sea rate competition to intensify even more in the coming years
Sea shipping rates reached a new low last week, according to Drewery’s World Container Index, which saw a 2 per cent decrease to 1,342 US dollars per 40ft container. The rate was 57 per cent...Read more
China-Russia bridge now open for Russian container trains
The Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway bridge, connecting China and Russia in the Far East, is now open to container trains coming from Russia. On the Russian side, the bridge had so far been used for transporting bulk...Read more
The first Middle Corridor joint venture has just been established
What has been in the pipeline since early 2022 is now a reality. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgian railways just sealed a deal to establish a joint venture on a parity basis. The new company will...Read more
China’s BRI plans signal a renewed opportunity for the Silk Road
ANALYSISThe Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held last week in Beijing, functioned as a platform for China to communicate its BRI and Silk Road aspirations. Multiple mentions of railway development and the...Read more