Fun facts about E-commerce between China and Europe
While economic recession hits most sectors hard, cross-border e-commerce is experiencing drastic growth. Due to travel restrictions in various countries during the pandemic, the ‘home economy’ has emerged, and online shopping has become the first...Read more
Direct Hefei-Wilhelmshaven train completes its first Eurasian trip
The first train from Hefei, Anhui Province in China, arrived at Wilhelmshaven, the only deep-water port in Germany, on 13 July. The train carried 100 TEUs of goods, of which more than 60% were local...Read more
Soon to be spotted: Russian wagons on EU railways
The Russian manufacturer of freight cars, United Wagon, has obtained approval to operate two of its wagons on the European railway network. It concerns the Sggrs(s) 80’ six-axle and Sgmmns 40’ four-axle flat car. Approval...Read more
‘Hyperloop should not cannibalise traditional railways’
Hyperloop technology, which enables travel speeds of 1,200 km/h, holds massive potential for the railway industry. At the same time, there are areas of potential conflict between railways and hyperloop. In a recently published position...Read more
Hordes of reefer containers once again on the train to China
Since the 1st of April refrigerated transport to China has resumed. It was put on hold over concerns about the transmission of the coronavirus via containers. Chinese rail companies are now fully back on track...Read more
And up goes the container rate…again
The price of the China-Europe Express train has surged again. This is after a short, calm period in March, as a result of the Chinese Spring Festival. However, the Suez Canal blockade ushered in another...Read more
TENT-T network needs freight-only lines and ‘intermodal gauge’
Rail infrastructure needs to be adjusted to the needs of intermodal traffic, and the revision of the TEN-T regulation is the ideal moment for such a change. That is the core message of the UIRR...Read more
How Latvia segments the railway market for infrastructure charging
There are different ways in which countries determine segments on the rail market for infrastructure charging. In a webinar on 17 March, an online seminar on railway transportation market segmentation was held by LatRailNet, the...Read more
‘Finding a reliable overseas agent is like finding a needle in a haystack’
The New Silk Road may connect countries, but it does not necessarily connect people. In China, companies seem to find it difficult to find a reliable partner in Europe, and in Europe it is often...Read more
Container rates finally return to normal after Chinese Spring Festival
After continued price increases of rail freight between China and Europe, rates are finally returning back to normal levels. In some cases, the freight rates of some routes were even comparable to those of ocean...Read more
European railways struggle to balance Covid-related losses
European railway services seem to face financial hurdles during the beginning of 2021. The year started ominously since Covid-related losses for passenger and freight services do not guarantee any improvement window for the following months....Read more
‘Rail the real hero of 2020 for the logistics industry’
Rail is the grand winner of 2020. That is of course what rail operators say, but it is also what logistics companies offering multiple solutions claim. An example is RailBridgeCargo, which offers rail as part...Read moreEU railway industry loses 26 billion euro in revenue due to pandemic
The EU railway industry has lost 26 billion euros in revenue last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These figures are based on data collected among the members of the Community of European Railway and...Read more
Is the elimination of Chinese subsidies a good idea?
Over the past three years, China has been scaling down subsidies for train traffic between China and Europe. Financial support could not be more than 50 per cent of freight costs in 2018, no more...Read more
CER begins European Year of Rail with new Executive Director
For the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the year 2021 marks a change of leadership. The new Executive Director, Alberto Mazzola, has officially entered office. He was unanimously elected by the CER...Read more
Who profits from the soaring container prices?
“In all my years working in this industry, I have never seen anything this crazy”, says Osmo Lahtinen, the founder of the Finnish container leasing company OVL. The ‘crazy’ refers to the different situations in...Read more
Kombiverkehr adds new intermodal service via Brenner Pass
Kombiverkehr KG announced the launching of an additional direct train service between Verona (Italy) and Lübeck (Germany). From Lübeck, cargo will be transhipped on sea vessels to reach Sweden. The train will begin its operations...Read more
European wines or Chinese tea in original quality
The EU and China signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against usurpation and imitation. A GI indicates a specific geographical...Read more
RailFreight China goes live
Since today, 17 July, the Chinese version of the website is live: RailFreight.cn. Since the launch of RailFreight.com in 2016, the website has been expanding to bring news about the international rail freight industry to...Read more