Italian waste in the Netherlands via rail: Switzerland is opposed too
The recently launched initiative of shipping waste from Rome to Amsterdam via rail keeps encountering criticism. This time, Swiss MP Bruno Storni pointed out that the new service does not benefit Switzerland but, on the...Read more
VTG deploys choco-train to transport cocoa beans for Lindt
Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprungli will receive cocoa beans coming from Amsterdam by rail from now on. The initiative is made possible by VTG, which converted some of its regular hopper wagons to enable...Read more
Dutch rail accident: ProRail says the freight train was on the right track
Accident updateThe dynamic of the tragic accident that shook the Netherlands on the night of Tuesday, 4 April, is still quite unclear. What is known so far is that the DB Cargo Nederland convoy was the...Read more
New Rome-Amsterdam rail service for the sake of waste management
AMA, the company operating garbage collection in Rome, and the Amsterdam Waste Energy Company (AEB) have found an agreement to ship household waste from the Italian capital to the Dutch one. The new deal entails...Read more
ProRail and Infrabel to improve rail infrastructure at the North Sea Port
ProRail and Infrabel, the Dutch and Belgian rail infrastructure managers will further collaborate with North Sea Port to increase rail freight between the two countries and start a follow-up study this year. The cooperation aims...Read more
The Rotterdam-Swissterminal connection became direct to avoid German network nuisance
Since early January 2023, the rail connection between the port of Rotterdam and Frenkendorf (Basel) and Niederglatt (Zürich) has become direct without passing through Neuss in Germany. The service is offered by Schweizerzug, part of...Read more
China-Europe trains in 2022: east-west imbalance and drops in volume
It has become an indisputable fact that the freight volume of railway operations between China and Europe has plummeted in 2022, but how steep was the decline? A look at the recent data of UTLC...Read more
Hupac’s Rotterdam-Mannheim connection back on track with LTE
At the end of 2022, Hupac temporarily interrupted its rail freight services between the Rail Service Centre (RSC) in Rotterdam and the Contargo terminal in Mannheim. However, in a little over a month, the service...Read more
First freight service connecting Zhejiang province to the Netherlands
The first freight train linking the Chinese province of Zhejiang with the Netherlands is underway. The service will have freight trains departing from Jinhua with Venlo as its final destination.Read more
Bridge in port of Rotterdam to reopen double track, but not in strong wind
It is again possible to travel with two trains at the same time over the Suurhoff Bridge to the Maasvlakte. Trains can now safely cross the bridge, even with winds up to 44 km/h (wind...Read more
Rail freight in Rotterdam port disturbed by emergency maintenance
Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail limited rail freight operations on the port of Rotterdam’s harbour line on Tuesday, 19 April, late afternoon. Most disturbances occurred at the Maasvlakte sidings. Emergency repairs needed to be carried out...Read more
Dutch fund allocates 105 million to cross-border rail in North Sea Port
The cross-border rail freight project in North Sea Port that connects Zeeuws-Vlaanderen with Ghent will receive 105 million euros from the Dutch Growth Fund (Groeifonds). With this, the Dutch government underlines the importance of rail...Read more
2nd branch of only-freight corridor in the Netherlands: wishful thinking?
A second branch of the Dutch rail freight corridor the Betuweroute is no longer a point of discussion. It is no longer a question of ‘if it should be realised’, but rather ‘how’, said the...Read more
5G enters Dutch railways with this innovation
In the Netherlands a new product is on the horizon; a wireless axle counter that works on 5G. The infrastructure manager ProRail and innovator Rail Connect will work on this product for the next three...Read more
Vida XL goes for rail with new Venlo-Poznan connection
The Netherlands and Poland have just acquired a new rail freight connection. The new intermodal train connecting Venlo and Poznan commenced on Monday, 4 October, and provides space for the transport of non-cranable trailers.Read more
Moscow shuttle: Rotterdam’s new gateway to Russia
A new cross-border connection is in the pipeline for Rotterdam, organised by Smartcontainer B.V and RUSCON, both part of the Delo Group. The Moscow shuttle train, as it is called, will connect Rotterdam’s RSC Waalhaven...Read moreNew method calculating charges in the Netherlands: good or bad news?
From 2023, a new method will be used for calculating the track access charges on the Dutch railway network. In practice, this means that the kilometer charges will be reduced by 57 per cent. On...Read more
China-Lithuania geopolitics hinder rail developments
The cease of rail freight operations between Lithuania and China has been on the headlines for days. The two sides contradict each other about the current state of their affairs, and the situation is still...Read more
Pocket wagons return to Great Belt Bridge on the way to Sweden
Intermodal traffic to Sweden is picking up again, as more and more companies are finding the possibility to pass the Danish Great Belt Bridge. Trains with pocket wagons were banned on this bridge for a...Read more