‘Taking over Fret SNCF’s contracts is challenging for private operators’
The process of private operators taking over contracts and services given up by Fret SNCF as part of its economic rehabilitation is not all laughs and smiles. It is a challenging situation where companies are...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
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
Fret SNCF forced to give up several routes to endorse fair competition
Fret SNCF, the rail freight subsidiary of state-owned French railway company SNCF, sustained another blow that makes its economic and operational future challenging, to say the least. The company will have to give up operations...Read more
Last excavation contract for Turin-Lyon tunnel has been assigned
The project of the Turin-Lyon railway tunnel has taken another step towards completion. The contract for the excavations of the Italian side of the tunnel, running under the Mount Cenis, has been in fact assigned....Read more
Is Italy running the risk of remaining logistically isolated?
Italy is experiencing significant disruptions in the transport and logistics sector, especially the rail freight industry, due to natural calamities and other disruptions. The country is currently somehow logistically isolated from all its neighbours in...Read more
Traffic along Frejus Railway halted after a landslide
Traffic via the Frejus Railway, the main railway between Italy and France, is interrupted for an indefinite period after a landslide damaged both rail and road infrastructure. No casualties were reported, but French Ministry of...Read more
France to loan Ukraine over 37 million euros to rebuild railways
The French government will loan 37,6 million euros to Ukraine for the supply of rail tracks to rebuild the country’s infrastructure, significantly damaged since the Russian invasion. This, according to Ukrainian Railways (UZ), is the...Read more
Fret SNCF to be divided into two new companies from 2025
Fret SNCF will be split into two entities at the end of 2024, New Fret and New Maintenance. This is a consequence of the European Commission’s investigation into the French national rail freight company.Read more
France says Italy should leave the BRI and favour more democratic alliances
The situation concerning Italy and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by China seems to interest more than just the two countries involved. The French government recently shared its views on the issue, claiming...Read more
Turin-Lyon tunnel: 3 billion euros tender to carry out railway works
A tender worth three billion euros was published in the Official Journal of the European Union for implementing railway and technological equipment in the Turin-Lyon tunnel. This tender does not only include the project and...Read more
VEGA introduces r2L system for non-cranables in France
VEGA’s roadrailLink (r2L) system to transport non-cranable semi-trailers on the rail was recently introduced at the Lille Dourges Container Terminal (LDCT), in northern France. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with VTG, which provided...Read more
Middle Corridor volumes double and keep growing
Cargo volume transited via the Middle Corridor doubled last year, with an estimated amount of 1,7 million tons. Furthermore, for the first five months of this year, cargo traffic via the Middle Corridor has increased...Read more
SNCF modernises railway tracks in Calais to increase rail freight capacity
A short but important section of the railway in Calais will undergo modernisation starting in July. The 4,4 kilometres long track between the port of Calais and the Calais-Ville railway station will be upgraded as...Read more
Ukrainian Railways gets 200 million euros from EBRD
Ukrzaliznytsya (UZ) will receive 200 million euros in sovereign loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). As EBRD specified, these funds will be allocated “to upgrade the country’s railway links with the...Read more
France will invest in Turin-Lyon access routes after all
After a few turbulent months, France is ready to invest up to three billion euros in the access routes to the Turin-Lyon tunnel, said the French Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune. He also pointed out...Read more
France’s plan for Spanish rail border crossing upgrade is ‘worrying’
The future of the upgrade of the rail border crossing between France and Spain on the TEN-T Atlantic Corridor is still unclear and concerns are increasing. Carlo Sacchi, Community Executive responsible for the Corridor, presented...Read more
Fret SNCF: massive job and traffic losses, protesters storm EU offices
The die is cast. The French freight subsidiary of SNCF – Fret SNCF – will be restructured in order to avoid sanctions from the EU Commission. The restructuring means that it will have to give...Read more
Another route added between Poland and France
Trains will run on a new route between Gliwice Port in Poland and Marckolsheim in France. The new route will cover a distance of over 1300 kilometres and is scheduled for two roundtrips per week....Read more