Supply chains will probably survive Germany’s new China strategy
ANALYSIS‘We need to release ourselves from the cheap Chinese supply chains’. ‘We could be moving to a new Cold War era’. ‘We need to be sensible and seize economic possibilities with China’. These contrasting viewpoints...Read more
Thailand could join the railway connection to China in 5 years
The ambitious project to realise a China-Laos-Thailand Railway was one of the main discussion points during the recently held visit of the the Thai Railway and Customs delegation to Laos. The first phase of the...Read more
Hannibal to launch new rail service to connect port of La Spezia with China
Hannibal is inaugurating a new rail freight service between Marzaglia, 50 kilometres northwest of Bologna, and Melzo, near Milan. This new service is expected to strengthen the connection between the port of La Spezia and...Read more
Winds, snow and -20 degrees Celcius, but the trains keep running
While the Lunar Year has officially kicked off and the people in Europe have left their holidays behind, we are finding ourselves in the midst of winter. In Kazakhstan and some parts of China, this...Read moreFESCO enters 2023 with an appetite for records
In early January, FESCO’s rail operations reached a new record high. The company managed to dispatch 53 container trains in just a week from the Vladivostock region towards Central and Western Russia. The previous-now broken-...Read more
Uganda cancels Chinese railway deal, looks for Turkish alternative
Uganda has cancelled a 2,2 billion dollar deal with the Chinese company China Harbour and Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) to build a railway line from the Ugandan capital Kampala to the border with Kenya. Uganda...Read more
China supplies Pakistan with 70 freight wagons after friction resolves
State-owned Pakistan Railways received 70 new freight wagons supplied by China. The state-of-the-art wagons arrived in Karachi on Monday, 16 January. This is the first batch of China-supplied wagons this year, as Pakistan Railways expect...Read more
First Vietnam-China-Kazakhstan route opens
The first route from Vietnam to Kazakhstan was launched on 31 December. The train departed from Pingxiang Railway Station in Guangxi, in southern China, and reached the Xi’an dry port, in the east of the...Read more
Several China-Russia-Belarus route points congested, delays persist
Border crossings and rail freight terminals on the China-Russia-Belarus route have faced or are beginning to face congestion issues that could cause considerable delays along the Silk Road’s northern passage.Read more
New Year’s resolution: China relaxes pandemic rules causing joy to Eurasian rail
From 8 January 2023, China will no longer implement quarantine and infectious disease management measures for the entry of personnel and goods into the country. After almost three years of strict measures, the government has...Read more
Ease of COVID rules in China good news for New Silk Road
China has announced a nationwide ease of the strict COVID policy for the first time in three years. What does this policy shift mean for the rail freight industry? What impact have lockdowns had on...Read more
First stone for second track railway line to Alashankou, China
The railway line between Alashankou and Jinghe in China is to have a second track. On 30 November, the foundation stone was laid, lauding the official start of construction. The second track means a significant...Read moreChina-Laos Railway: new fruit service to celebrate first anniversary
The first train loaded with fruit coming from Thailand and Laos entered China on 2 December. The train departed from the Laotian capital Vientiane and reached China via the Boten-Mohan border crossing.Read more
Broad meets normal gauge at new border point China-Mongolia
Mongolia has opened a new railway line to the border with China. It connects Zongbayan to the border city of Khangi. Once the facilities are completed, this will provide a new, second border crossing for...Read more
Rail Cargo Group to expand in Serbia and China
Rail Cargo Group (RCG), the freight arm of the Austrian Federal Railways (OBB), will expand with a new branch and a new carrier in Serbia and China in 2023. The announcements were made at the...Read more
China-Belarus freight service shifts to rail
The first train from Xiamen, in the Fujian province in southeastern China, to Minsk, in Belarus, left on Sunday 20 November. With 16 days of transit time over 10,540 kilometres, this new service is expected...Read more
China-Russia rail bridge is finally open
The Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang railway bridge, the first rail bridge connecting Russia and China, is finally up and running. The first train left Russia on Wednesday 16 November. With the bridge now in operation, the route to...Read more
Will the Chinese gauge finally be extended to Hanoi?
China and Vietnam may finally take a decision about the extension of the normal gauge railway track from the Chinese border to Hanoi. Vietnam has a different gauge, and this is holding back the full...Read more
New Italy-China service by Hupac coming soon
Hupac will launch a new direct container service between Italy and China on 28 November. The service will connect Milan with Suzhou, 100 kilometres west of Shanghai. The transit time is expected to revolve around...Read more