France-Spain rail line re-opening back on track?
analysisThe re-opening of the cross-border rail section through the Pyrenees between Bedous in France and Canfranc in Spain and ultimately linking Pau with Zaragoza, remains in the spotlight. Recently, the European Commission renewed its support...Read more
Spain launches more tenders for Mediterranean Corridor upgrades
The Spanish Ministry of Transport (MITMA) allocated 18,3 million euros for the drafting of the projects for the renovation and conditioning of the Granada-Almería railway line, in the south of the country. Concerning rail freight,...Read more
How much will the disruptions in the Alps cost for rail freight operators?
Crossing the Alps by rail is currently as difficult as it must have been for Hannibal over 2,000 years ago. The closures, partial or total, of the Gotthard and Frejus axes are causing major disruptions...Read more
Project for standard gauge to Spain’s largest port gets underway
Spanish infrastructure manager (IM) Adif awarded the contract for the supply and transportation of the rail sleepers which will be laid along the third track planned to be built between Bobadilla and Ronda. The third...Read more
Frankfurt-Mannheim railway: total closure between 1 and 22 January
The Riedbahn, the railway connecting Frankfurt with Mannheim, will be “fully closed to train traffic from 1-22 January”, Deutsche Bahn (DB) stated. The line is planned to undergo significant renovation over the next five months....Read more
Volumes on Novara-Freiburg Rolling Highway back to pre-pandemic levels
The rolling highway (RoLa) between Novara and Freiburg has experienced a 12 per cent increase in trucks transported via rail during the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period last year. According...Read more
Iran and Russia want to invest 36 billion euros in the INSTC
Iran and Russia claim to be ready to invest around 36 billion euros in the development of trans-Caspain lines along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Concerning Iranian investments mentioned on rail freight, they include...Read more
What is the future of the Oslo-Gothenburg line?
The railway line stretching from Oslo, in Norway, to Gothenburg, in Sweden, is currently one of the main bottlenecks along the TEN-T Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor. A feasibility study to double the track was recently published by...Read more
TEN-T corridors merger still leaves questions for rail freight
The Rhine-Alpine and the North Sea-Mediterranean Corridors of the TEN-T network will be merged into one entity called the North Sea-Rhine-Mediterranean Corridor. The merger is expected to be approved by the end of the year,...Read more
Italy divests 300 million euros from key project on Scan-Med Corridor
The Italian government cut 300 million euros that were destined for a key project along one of the Italian branches of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor. The initiative in question is the development of a solid...Read more
Ukraine and Lithuania to start Kyiv-Kaunas rail freight tests
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) said it will launch rail freight transportation tests between Kyiv and Kaunas, in Lithuania. The initiative will start next week and is part of the framework of cooperation between UZ and the...Read more
Azerbaijan-Iran bridge interests and infrastructure to the benefit of INSTC
Geopolitical instability in the Caucasus area does not seem to hinder the development of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan. In contrast, it appears to be strengthening them. The two countries have also found themselves in...Read more
These two projects sum up the Italian approach to rail freight
There are two projects in Italy that seem to be quite descriptive of how the country approaches its priorities, especially when it comes to rail freight. They are the Messina Strait Bridge, which would connect...Read more
Sweden chooses loans to speed up rail projects funding
The Swedish Transport Administration Trafikverket is considering financing new rail freight projects through government loans that might total over 2.5 billion euros. This, according to a spokesperson from the agency, should “enable an earlier and...Read more
Frejus Railway to remain closed until summer 2024 after landslide
The railway line between Chambéry and Turin, the main railway crossing between France and Italy, has been closed since 27 August due to a massive landslide. Unfortunately, it seems that repair work along the Frejus...Read more
Kazakhstan invests big to double railway to China
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) will purchase 108,000 tonnes of rail, over 1,500 sets of sleepers and fastenings. The equipment will be used for the doubling of the Moyynty-Dostyk railway, which connects Kazakhstan to China via Alashankou.Read more
Northern Italy prepares to handle more 750-metre trains
The rail infrastructure in Lombardy, in northern Italy, is getting ready to accommodate 750-metre freight trains. Two tracks were adapted to handle longer trains at the Gallarate stations, near the Hupac’s terminal in Busto Arsizio,...Read more
Kyiv-Vienna rail freight services could commence by year’s end
Intermodal railway connections between Ukraine and Austria might soon become a reality. Ukrainian Railways (UZ) and Rail Cargo Group (RCG), the freight subsidiary of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), pledged to develop a route running...Read more
New Italy-Serbia rail corridor could serve as Ukraine bypass
A new rail freight corridor connecting the Italian northeast with the Serbian capital Belgrade will open at the end of September. The main purpose of the initiative is to transport products manufactured in the Friuli...Read more