Belgian rail freight sector asks waiver of track access charges 2020
The Belgian Rail Freight Forum has asked its government for short-term support to get the sector through the crisis. At the peak of the pandemic, there was an average 30 per cent less demand for...Read more
EU proposes waiving of track access charges as support measure
The European Commission has proposed a regulation that allows EU Member States to waive or reduce track access charges as well as reservation charges. This is to support railway undertakings, which are facing challenging times...Read more
Scientists: European Silk Road should help recover Europe post-corona
A European Silk Road could contribute to the recovery of Europe after COVID-19. Alternatively, a network of high-speed railway lines should help restoring the continent. This was concluded by Economists at the Vienna Institute for...Read more
Trucks at Chinese-Kazakh border halted to prioritise rail freight
Severe congestion at the Kazakh-Chinese border has led to a halt of all truck traffic, in order to ensure the continuance of Europe-China rail. This was announced by the China Railway dispatching center . The...Read more
VTG calls for industry support post-pandemic
The European rolling stock lease and rail logistics company VTG has set out a programme for industry after the pandemic, and it puts rail freight at the heart of recovery. The company says supporting the railway...Read more
UK in quarantine – what now for rail freight
As of today, the government in London has imposed a quarantine period of two weeks for all visitors entering the UK. What are the implications for freight movements into the British Isles?Read more
‘Freed-up capacity for freight should be new normal’
Now that passenger traffic gradually returns to the railways of Europe, it is a good moment to reflect on the much-debated capacity issue for freight. If there is one lesson learnt from the corona crisis,...Read more
UK carers and key workers celebrated with loco logo
DB Cargo UK adds a splash of colour in recognition of key workers around the UK, with a specially liveried ’66. Drawing a groan of grudging approval from all concerned, DB Cargo UK say they...Read more
New Silk Road carries another medical train, this time to Paris
A block train loaded with medical equipment has left the Chinese province of Jiangxi today, 4 June, headed for Paris. The service is organised by Russian Railways, SNCF Forwardis, COSCO Group and JSC UTLC ERA,...Read more
Car sales in China slowly picking up
The sale of cars in China is picking up again. According to first estimates, China sold 2.14 million passenger cars and small vans in May. That would be around 12 per cent more than in...Read more
European recovery plan welcome, but ‘not enough’
The long-term budget (MFF) and recovery plan for the transport sector presented by European Commission has been welcomed by the railway industry. But, it is not sufficient for an overall shift to green mobility, says...Read more
Train loaded with masks from Wuhan arrives in Serbia
A train loaded with masks and medical equipment from the Chinese city of Wuhan was welcomed in the terminal of Beograd, in Serbia yesterday. The train was arranged with the help of the Chinese government,...Read more
RailFreight Webinar: New Silk Road to Central and Eastern Europe
The Central and Eastern European region has been gaining importance on the New Silk Road, also during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Despite the turbulent times of today, new connections were formed and new services launched....Read more‘Place railways at the heart of the recovery of European mobility’
The Polish railway undertaking PKP SA has appealed the European Commission to support railway investments that will effectively help stimulate the EU economic recovery plan. CEO Krzysztof Mamiński called for special priority for railway support...Read more
Paper documents not necessarily needed right now
As a result of COVID-19’s impact on the railway industry, some railway companies are confronted with challenges in preparing and collecting paper-based documents required for customs procedures. If needed, electronic documents could temporarily be accepted,...Read more
Port of Gdansk handles 8.7% less cargo in Q1 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the port of Gdansk in the first quarter of 2020. The total cargo volumes handled by the port went down by 8.3 per cent compared to the same period last...Read more