Russian rail freight sector grows steadily this year
The Russian rail freight sector is steadily growing this year thanks to its almost complete re-orientation in the Eastern direction and the ongoing adaptation of Russian economics from the sanctions and their consequences.Read more
China’s BRI plans signal a renewed opportunity for the Silk Road
ANALYSISThe Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, held last week in Beijing, functioned as a platform for China to communicate its BRI and Silk Road aspirations. Multiple mentions of railway development and the...Read more
Russia-China rail freight volumes keep skyrocketing
Rail freight volumes between China and Russia are continuing to increase. Over the first nine months of 2023, more than 128 million tons were transported via rail between the two countries. This signals a 51.5...Read more
China turns to the Middle Corridor and prepares for investments
It has been almost two years since the Middle Corridor came under the spotlight after the war in Ukraine began. The corridor was forced to grow fast amid multiple challenges to accommodate parts of rail...Read more
Kazakhstan invests big to double railway to China
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) will purchase 108,000 tonnes of rail, over 1,500 sets of sleepers and fastenings. The equipment will be used for the doubling of the Moyynty-Dostyk railway, which connects Kazakhstan to China via Alashankou.Read more
Nominate your RailFreight Ambassador 2023
Are you a proud believer in rail transport between Europe and China? Have you recently added value to the New Silk Road, or have you been there since the very beginning? Are you considered a...Read more
Another sanction measure could impact westbound Silk Road volumes
A new sanction measure, which will take effect at the end of this month, could impact China-Europe volumes. Starting 30 September, the import of certain Russian iron and steel products processed in a third country...Read more
Italian Deputy Prime Minister says Parliament is keen on leaving BRI
Antonio Tajani, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed that “the large part of the Italian Parliament is in favour of withdrawing” from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He added...Read more
Free Webinar: It’s time to talk about this year’s Silk Road
This year is certainly not easy for rail freight forwarders focusing on transportation between China and Europe. The northern route crossing Russia becomes even more complicated as the sanctions tighten. Meanwhile, the demand from Europe...Read more
G20 confirms US and EU ambitions for major new Eurasian corridor
The recent G20 summit in India functioned as a platform to unfold the ambitious plans of a new economic and transport corridor in the context of the G7-EU-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment initiative....Read more
UK record breaker: from Xi’an to Essex in just two weeks
There’s a new Silk Road express on the rails. Davies Turner, who style themselves as the leading independent UK freight forwarder, have broken their own record for intermodal freight transit between China and the UK....Read more
Rail freight from Vietnam to Europe: are we there yet?
The ‘China plus one’ strategy has created a wave of production migration from China to Southeast Asia. Vietnam is one of the countries that benefit from this growing manufacturing switch. Rail freight forwarders are seeking...Read more
Join us for a visit to this fast-growing Silk Road hub
EVENTHave you always wanted to visit an intermodal terminal in the fast-growing rail freight hub of Budapest? On 1 December 2023, a site visit to METRANS Budapest-Csepel Terminal (BUCS) is scheduled. This is part of...Read more
Evolution of cars on rails: from trucks and trailers to electric vehicles and containers
ADAMPOL S.A. has been transporting cars for 33 years. At first, car transport used to take place only via trucks. Nowadays, things are different since cars are transported on rails, double-stacked, in containers and even...Read more
‘Standard transit time for Silk Road trains is approachable’
INTERVIEWTwo companies have launched new services from Lodz in Poland to Chengdu in China, with a twelve-day transit time. For trains transiting between Europe and China, such a delivery time used to be luxurious, but...Read more
A price war could be on the doorstep of global trade and transport industry
INTERVIEWThe way that transport prices have developed so far in 2023 gives a significant benefit to sea shipping over intercontinental rail freight. Rail prices to transport a 40-foot high-cube container are currently three-four times higher...Read more
Record and deadly floods in China leave Silk Road trains untouched
The biblical disaster unfolding in China, with several people dead and massive destruction of infrastructure because of roaming typhoons, has somehow not disrupted Eurasian rail transport. According to reports from platform companies in China and...Read more
‘Companies placing their solutions in niche markets will lead the Silk Road’
INTERVIEWThe Eurasian transport market is changing; that is a fact. Supply chain disruptions can be inevitable, and the market needs to adjust to them and find new pathways towards development. As the New Silk Road...Read more
PKP PLK completes Malaszewicze track expansion and prepares more
The Polish infrastructure manager PKP PLK has just completed a key upgrade project in Malaszewicze. The rail freight section now has three additional tracks that can facilitate the transit of more trains, thus increasing capacity....Read more