Romanian farmers want new ban on Ukrainian imports, EU responds with funds
Romanian farmers appear discontent with the status of Ukrainian products imported to their country. They have sent an official letter to the EU Commission head, Ursula von der Leyen, demanding the reintroduction of an import...Read more
‘HS2 completion is not the only way forward,’ says Network Rail chief
INTERVIEWAndrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, has called for unity in the rail industry in order to prosper. The appeal comes in the wake of the UK Government’s announcement that it will cancel...Read more
A question to the Commission about the Greening Freight Package
File: Greening Freight Package Concerns about the EU Commission’s Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) approach are intensifying. The initial optimism of July is now transforming into increasing scepticism and fear about what is expected from the legislative proposals and...Read more
EC accepted Spain’s request to not use road tolls to boost rail freight
The European Commission (EC) approved Spain’s request to unlock the funds from the Recovery and Resiliency Facility (RRF) without implementing road freight tolls. The alternative proposed by the country’s Ministry of Transport is that 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
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
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
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
Can politics and business align? Policy, transparency and logistics
Politics and business can be intertwined in many ways but also conflicting. This is especially the case regarding foreign investments and possible influence by third countries in Europe, for example. The same applies to supply...Read more
MSC-HHLA deal already sparks controversy and faces opposition
The port of Hamburg and HHLA seem destined to be at the centre of attention given every opportunity. This time is not about COSCO buying a stake at a port’s terminal but about the upcoming...Read more
Combined Transport Directive should be ready by November
File: Greening Freight Package The Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) remains one of the most relevant topics in the rail freight industry in Europe. Among the most discussed and awaited aspects is the Combined Transport Directive (CTD). Akos Ersek,...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
Ban on Ukrainian grain imports remains despite EU’s decision
The European Commission introduced new measures to try and ensure a stable flow of Ukrainian agricultural products to the rest of the Union without disruptions for the farmers of Kyiv’s neighbouring countries. The first measure...Read more
Capacity management: The pros and cons of the Commission’s proposals
File: Greening Freight Package The EU Commission’s proposal for the Regulation on the use of Railway Infrastructure Capacity, as part of the Greening Freight Package, is probably one of the most positive developments the rail sector could expect from...Read more
Greening Freight Package: intermodal measures ‘irrelevant or ineffective’
File: Greening Freight Package Scepticism from the rail freight industry concerning parts of the EU’s Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) is now taking the form of direct calls to the EU Parliament and Council to avoid detrimental mistakes. A...Read more
UK rail industry responds to Network Rail five year plan
It’s called CP7 – Control Period Seven. It’s what the UK infrastructure Network Rail intends to do with the forty-four billion pounds of pocket money allocated by the UK government for the five years commencing...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
Rail planning issues in Sweden might not be solved before late 2024
The Swedish government tasked the country’s infrastructure manager Trafikverket to find solutions to improve maintenance planning and traffic reliability. The deadline set for Trafikverket to submit their proposals is 12 February 2024, with extensions up...Read more
EVG agrees to DB’s collective agreement, strikes averted
The vote has been cast. The ballots held by German trade union EVG resulted in the acceptance of Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Despite EVG calling it “a clear vote by the membership”,...Read more