UIRR: yes to rail freight support, no to neglecting combined transport
Transport Ministers from Fifteen different EU Member States signed and adopted a Joint Position Paper on 31 March. The Joint Paper calls out the EU Commission to launch an initiative for the support of rail...Read more
Will EU transit via Russia become possible in 2020?
Five months after lifting the ban on the transit of EU fresh products to third countries via Russia, transportation of this freight is still not possible. To change this, Russia should create clarity about the...Read more
Russia forms new rules for electronic seals transit goods
The government of Russia will develop the requirements for electronic seals to be used for transit goods from the EU to China. The new legislation should be composed by the end of July. The use of...Read moreLifted Russian ban on transit traffic: big advantage with many questions
Russia has lifted the ban on the transit of EU fresh products. What impact will the decision have on the European logistics industry? Which products are allowed for transportation via Russia? What requirements should the...Read more
PKP Cargo wants to become EU leader on New Silk Road
PKP Cargo, the largest Polish rail freight company, wants to become the European champion of rail freight transportation on the New Silk Road. Such an ambitious goal was documented in the Strategy of PKP Cargo...Read more
Changes to UK track access charges system ‘could harm rail’s competitiveness’
Potential changes to how track access charges in the UK are calculated could present a threat to rail’s competitiveness. Rail economics expert Professor Chris Nash will deliver this stark warning when he speaks at the...Read moreEU/US alliance: ‘intermodal transport vital for competition’
A concerted effort to promote intermodality is key to increasing competitiveness and cutting carbon emissions, says a new transatlantic rail and road alliance. The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport (UIRR) joined forces with its stateside...Read more
EU’s Violeta Bulc launches ‘Year of Multimodality’
EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc is leading a campaign for 2018 to be the ‘Year of Multimodality’. The European Commission is planning policy initiatives and events to promote the benefits of multimodal transport. The European Commission says...Read more
Public tender for Portugal-Spain rail freight works
The Portugese government will in March launch the civil works public tender for the rail freight corridor between Sines and Setubal ports and the Spanish border. This project has three key strands: the rail track between...Read more
Freight innovators could share in new Shift2Rail funding
The European Union-backed Shift2Rail project is inviting the most innovative rail freight proposals to share in a new finance package worth more than 155 million Euros. Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU) has announced its latest Call...Read more
Rail freight 2017 & ahead – by ERFA’s Julia Lamb
To say it’s been a challenging year for the rail freight sector, not least in Europe, is an understatement. While the immediate effects of the Rastatt landslip in August were nothing short of an operational...Read more
EU grant for ERTMS on Dutch freight locomotives
The Netherlands has received a EU grant of 32 million Euros to install ERTMS technology on Dutch locomotives using the Rotterdam-Genoa rail freight corridor. Part of a wider 83 million Euros package for various transport projects,...Read moreEC approves Italian rail freight funding scheme
The European Commission (EC) has given the green light to an Italian funding scheme aimed at supporting the shift of freight from road to rail in the northern province of Bolzano. Running until 2019 and with...Read more
ERFA backs new EU rules for creating ‘customer-oriented’ railways
Proposed new EU rules aimed at creating a more customer-oriented rail freight network have received the formal backing of the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA). The body which represents more than 30 members across Europe...Read more
EU project for ‘real time’ sharing of freight train ETAs
The Royal Dutch Transport association (KNV), which represents rail freight employers, is to lead a Europe-wide project on the real-time exchange of data on the arrival times of freight trains. It will work with intermodal body...Read more
Slovenia puts 1 billion Euros rail freight plan to the people
A rail freight infrastructure programme for Slovenia that would cost a billion Euros is to be put to a referendum, following a vote by the country’s Parliament. The 27-kilometre line is designed to speed up...Read more
EC approves state aid for HZ Cargo Croatia
The European Commission has approved state aid of 975 million Croatian Kruna (approximately 129.5 million Euros) granted by Croatia to HZ Cargo, a state-owned rail freight operator. HZ Cargo had been in financial difficulties before the...Read moreEU Commissioner Bulc: ERTMS roll-out ‘too slow’
Roll-out of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) has been ‘too slow’ and action is required to ensure targets are met, says the EU’s Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc. She told the final SERA railway convention...Read more
EC: Measures to support Greek freight operator ‘in line with state aid rules’
Measures taken in Greece to support the restructuring of rail infrastructure manager OSE and the country’s sole freight & passenger operator Trainose are in line with EU state aid rules, the European Commission (EC) has...Read more