Move all shipments to rail, or rather not?
Shipments through Europe are best loaded onto trains, as these continue to run as usual during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. On the contrary, truckers are facing long border queues with the implementation of additional border...Read more
‘Year of rail 2021 much needed and perfectly timed’
Various railway organisations have welcomed the proposal of the European Commission to designate 2021 as the European Year of Rail. They believe that it should serve as an opportunity to deliver a much-needed legal framework...Read more
New criteria for road to rail grants in UK
An update to the criteria upon which grant decisions are based, could lead to a more favourable climate for switching from road to rail in populated areas. This could reduce congestion on some of the...Read more
13,000 lorries off the roads of Northern Norway
Norwegian rail freight operator CargoNet has launched the new intermodal connection between Trondheim and Bodø. It carries up to 52 semi-trailers in each direction. With the help of the new freight service, CargoNet will be...Read more
Future for UK timber trains in Scotland
There are fresh calls for a more sustainable approach to the timber industry, and a new look at bringing back rail as the prime mover. However, even supporters say there are considerable commercial challenges. Timber trains...Read more
Rail freight produces 6 times less CO2 than truck
In 2018, an average freight train emitted around 18 grams of carbon dioxide per tonne-kilometer. The emissions of an average truck were much higher: 112 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The Umweltbundesamt, the environmental department...Read more
Swiss subsidies for rail freight remain in place till 2026
The Swiss government will extend its subsidising scheme for rail freight operations up till 2026. Previously, these subsidies were to be abolished in 2023. In addition, track access for freight trains in Switzerland will be...Read more
CER: time-based road tolls hinder shift to rail
The modal shift to rail is impossible without fair competition. For that reason, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) is calling the EU Member States to introduce the distance-based tolls on all...Read more
‘Dutch government must borrow money, invest in infrastructure’
Dutch logistics lobby firm TLN is calling upon the government to invest more in its infrastructure. And not only in road, but also in rail- and waterways. “We need to think about the mobility of...Read more
Subsidies for truckers northern Italy for shift to rail
From now until the end of this year, road hauliers in the Italian province of Bolzano are subsidised if they put their cargo on rails. This financial incentive was offered last year and will be...Read more
A decade further and still the same obstacles
The Rail Freight Forward initiative and European legislative framework could offer lessons to help railways and decision-makers around the world achieve the climate change targets agreed at the recent COP24 summit in Katowice, believes Jürgen...Read more
Swiss Alps still see 300,000 trucks too many
Two years after the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016 the number of trucks passing through the Swiss Alpine structure should have been less than 650 thousand per year. This was the ambition...Read more
Train delays slow down rail freight growth in Swiss Alps
Rail freight has increased its market share of transportation through the Swiss Alps from 69.9 per cent in 2017 to 70.5 per cent in 2018. The industry volumes did not reach the 2016 figures, which...Read more
How to turn rail freight into a profitable business?
How to turn rail freight into a profitable business? What is needed to attract new entrants and more competition in the rail freight market? These are the central topics to be raised at the annual...Read more
Estonia expands domestic container train service
Estonian rail freight operator Operail (former EVR Cargo) has launched a container train between Tartu and Sillamäe in order to reduce truck traffic on the country’s highways. The new service is the second domestic rail...Read more
‘Belgium should reduce cost of rail to push modal shift’
Representatives of the Belgian rail freight industry have asked their government to reduce the costs of train paths and transshipment, in order to boost rail freight traffic. Driving a train through Belgium should be as...Read more