Broad gauge in Kosice: new era, new perspective
A broad gauge railway track runs up till the Slovak industrial city of Kosice, an infrastructure that was once laid by the Soviet Union to provide the region with steel production and heavy industry. Today,...Read more
Rail accident adds nuisance to already distressed Slovenian network
An accident involving two colliding trains on the Divaca-Koper main railway line in Slovenia is cause for extra trouble in the country’s already impaired railway network. The accident forced the infrastructure manager to close the...Read more
Rail freight headaches: what are the main problems for the industry?
During the first session of the RailFreight Summit in Warsaw, many speakers from various companies offered their insights on the main problems lying ahead for rail freight. Among the most relevant issues mentioned for the...Read more
Metrans expands its network in Poland and Turkey
Metrans has launched new rail freight services that will expand its network from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The services will respectively connect Turkey with Slovakia and Poland with the Czech Republic. The...Read more
METRANS to apply more fuel surcharges in Germany
METRANS will implement additional fuel surcharges in Germany as of 1 September. The surcharge will occur for transport through the Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, and Nuremberg terminals. The fuel surcharge increase for the four locations revolves...Read more
Modal shift for HHLA: rail share increases while road volumes drop
Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) witnessed a positive modal shift this year. While rail volumes increased, cargo over the road decreased, and the overall rail share of the Hamburg-based transport company rose. This is a...Read more
Overloaded ports in Germany: METRANS’ two cents
Last week, the German port of Hamburg (HHLA) introduced the highest degree of restriction concerning freight transportation, resulting in many train slots being canceled. METRANS, its intermodal subsidiary, has been one of the parties affected....Read more
China and Serbia: a friendship as strong as steel
The Chinese railway company Trans Eurasia and Metrans have launched a rail freight service connecting Wuhan, in China with Pančevo, in Serbia. The transit time for the journey is 18 days.Read moreMETRANS launches direct connection between Slovakia and Turkey
Rail freight in Southeastern Europe is about to acquire a new service starting on 3 September. METRANS will launch a direct link between its terminal in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia and the Halkali terminal outside Istanbul...Read more
Port chaos in Europe keeps rail freight operations on the edge
Hamburg and Bremerhaven ports still face chaos following continuous strikes and infrastructure issues, causing “disastrous consequences” to operators like METRANS. As if that was not enough, Adriatic ports also met immense traffic restrictions, which the...Read more
Strikes, storms and construction: rail struggles to find its way to German ports
Rail terminals in the ports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven are reaching full capacity leading to unforeseen train delays of up to 48 hours and cancellations. The situation results from a combination of port strikes, storm-related...Read more
METRANS connects Prague-Wilhelmshaven responding to congested ports
A new intermodal connection between the port of Wilhelmshaven in Northern Germany and the METRANS terminal in Prague will commence on 3 July. The operator, METRANS, aims to tackle the disruptions caused by congestion in...Read more4 months of war and sanctions – an assessment of the alternatives
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, rail operators have looked for alternative routes between Europe and China. Nearly four months ahead, these routes have been established. We ask one of the key players,...Read more
Energy prices reach new record high, this is how rail freight adapts
With energy prices hitting new record highs in May, rail freight carriers face new challenges to keep their costs in check. Surcharges have become inevitable, efficiency is becoming the norm and in some countries, it...Read morePort of Hamburg stops receiving export trains ‘until further notice’
The port of Hamburg experiences disruptions with its rail freight services. The German port cannot receive any more export trains for the time being due to a combination of factors that include limited track capacity,...Read more
Azerbaijan Railways and ÖBB strive to develop Eurasian multimodal rail
A delegation of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) met ÖBB’s Chairman and CEO Andreas Mattä on Tuesday, 10 May and signed an MoU to highlight the role of multimodal transport in strengthening economic ties between the two...Read more
Port of Koper stranded from rail network due to line closures
Line closures in the Slovenian railway network due to construction hinder rail operations to and from the port of Koper. METRANS cancelled four pairs of trains on 4 May and expects a further slowdown of...Read more
Metrans introduces fuel surcharge for transport within port terminals
Metrans has introduced another fuel surcharge from 1 April for freight transport within the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. However, instead of surcharging rail services, it surcharges truck movements. The measure is implemented for transport...Read more
Transit times New Silk Road back to normal, what’s the secret?
If you asked industry experts to define the New Silk Road in 2021, the key word was congestion. Two months into the new year, congestion seems to have decreased, and trains are able to make...Read more