Yiwu out of lockdown, trains never stopped running
The Chinese e-commerce hub of Yiwu has opened its doors again for business after a lockdown period of more than two weeks. For rail freight this means a backlog of cargo that needs to be...Read more
The Track Access Charges Summit starts today
The Track Access Charges Summit kicks off today in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with a full and very interesting two-day programme. During this hybrid event taking place on 20 and 21 April, experts from all over...Read more
First train between mainland China and Hong Kong in a decade
Rail freight between mainland China and Hong Kong has resumed. A fully loaded train transporting medical supplies departed from Shenzhen on Wednesday, carrying anti-pandemic supplies for Hong Kong. According to local media sources, it is...Read more
EU support measures for rail during pandemic possibly extended
The EU Commission has proposed to extend the possibility to reduce or waive track access charges, in order to continue support for the railway industry throughout the pandemic. It is suggesting to prolong the support...Read more
Rail freight China – North Korea closed again after 8-day revival
After a short, eight-day period of revival, railway trade between China and North Korea is once again suspended. Just as before, the coronavirus is to blame, as a new confirmed case appeared in the Dandong...Read more
Railway industry confidence returns in UK
The uncertainty of the pandemic left almost every sector of the UK economy in a state of uncertainty and gloom. However, new polling has revealed that confidence in the rail industry has returned to pre-2019...Read more
Freightliner UK implements time-saving Terminal Operating System
The implementation of their integrated Terminal Operating System (TOS) at the gates of Cardiff and Birmingham helped Freightliner regain the “Rail Freight Operator of the Year” title at the recent Multimodal trade show in Birmingham....Read more
Does the glory of the New Silk Road end where ocean rates drop?
To a certain extent, the high sea freight rates and shortage of capacity have attracted more customers to the rails of the New Silk Road. When everything returns to normal, will the glory of the...Read more
Rail freight Poland gets hit, but future looks bright
Rail freight performance in Poland showed a decrease last year, but did reltalively well considering the pandemic that impacted the overall figures of rail. Moreover, intermodal transport is the real winner and showed an increase...Read more
Chinese port of Ningbo fully operational again
China has fully reopened a major container terminal in Ningbo, one of the world’s busiest ports, after it was closed two weeks ago due to an employee’s corona infection. However, the impact is still felt...Read more
5 tips to book space on a train from China to Europe
The train between Europe and China is currently overbooked, and the chances that you miss out on a spot are high. However, if you are familiar with the process or with the parties involved, your...Read moreThe Netherlands sees drop in rail freight in 2020
In the Netherlands, 40 million tons of goods were transported by rail last year. This is 6.2 per cent less than in 2019. This decrease was entirely due to the decrease in port export and...Read more
What happens when the COVID discounts for rail are gone?
Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of track access charges during the pandemic. However, this possibility is...Read more
METRANS more than doubles New Silk Road traffic in 2020
In 2020, METRANS has increased the number of container trains travelling between Europe and China by 114 percent. This is despite the pandemic. According to the HHLA subsidiary, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting capacity bottlenecks...Read moreRail continues to lose 30 million euros per week due to pandemic
The pandemic and the consequent lockdowns continue to impact heavily on rail freight. Compared to 2019 figures, revenues from rail freight have gone down from -3 per cent in December 2020 to 10 per cent...Read more
Germany wants to almost nullify track access charges
Germany has proposed to continue the reduction of track access charges until the end of 2021. Interestingly, the charges will almost be nullified; from the current 50 per cent reduction it wants to move to...Read more
UK policy call: Support the supply chain and cut emissions
The UK rail freight industry will be a critical part of the supply chain. That is the finding of the Rail Freight Group’s Phil Smart, newly appointed to the RFG policy team and representing the...Read more
‘EU Year of Rail should be extended in face of COVID-19’
CER, EIM and UNIFE – among the main rail associations in Brussels – have asked for an extension of the European Year of Rail, as the pandemic hinders the full potential it could have in...Read more
Pandemic or Suez blockade: how this company is always thinking ahead
While the railway industry unfolds its potential during the ongoing pandemic, the Suez crisis puts it to another rigorous test of resilience. Speaking on how to tackle the instability of the freight market, New Silk...Read more