Express logistics nothing new at venerable Waterloo Station
If you think Britain’s biggest and busiest terminal is all about passenger numbers, think again. London’s famous Waterloo Station has a long association with traffic that’s of more interest to the rail freight sector. Celebrations...Read more
Varamis express logistics operator leaves passenger trains in their wake
UK start-up express logistics operator Varamis Rail has handed down a challenge to passenger operators on the UK’s West Coast Main Line. The company is currently operating five days a week on the Birmingham-Glasgow route...Read more
GLS and Kombiverkehr listen to industry: more parcels on German rail
At the end of November 2022, three of the main German rail freight associations pledged the government to help putting more parcels on the rail. Kombiverkehr and GLS Germany are collaborating to accommodate this request....Read more
Varamis Rail: Britain’s newest freight operator enters high-speed service
Express logistics has moved off the drawing board and on to the rails. Varamis, the independent express logistics operator, has dispatched its first train. Running from Birmingham International to Mossend in Central Scotland, the carrier...Read more
Licenced to Rail: Varamis gets green light for express logistics operations
Doncaster-based Varamis Rail has been granted a licence to operate in the UK. The news was welcomed by their founder Phil Read in a warmly received announcement to the market. The approval from the Office...Read more
Pilot project puts DPD’s parcels on rail
DPD Germany wants to transport parcels between its depots in Duisburg and Hamburg by rail. For this purpose, it launched a pilot project in collaboration with Kombiverkehr with daily trains running between the two destinations...Read more
UK’s fresh look at freight capacity of train stations
A Network Rail report casts new light on the capacity of major passenger stations to handle light logistics. A broader return to handling less than wagon load and parcels traffic has been on the agenda...Read more
Mail keeps finding its way by rail in Switzerland
SBB Cargo and the Swiss Post are continuing their long-standing partnership. Letters and parcels will travel on rail tracks for another four years in Switzerland since the two companies extended their partnership until 2026.Read more
Massive parcel theft from trains in Los Angeles
US rail freight company Union Pacific has highlighted a sharp increase in cargo theft from its trains in Los Angeles County over the past year. In 2021, there was a 160 per cent increase in...Read moreSoon from London: cargo on passenger trains at speed
Freight moved on passenger trains, at the speed of these trains and to passenger stations. If all goes to plan, this will be a reality as soon as December this year, when Varamis aims to...Read more
Inside Eversholt’s Swift light logistics project
Eversholt, the rolling stock leasing company, has released more details of its project to convert redundant passenger units into high-speed light goods trains. The intention is to serve the fast-developing logistics and delivery market. The...Read more
Codename Swift: tailormade light logistics train takes to the rails
The changing face of rail operations in the UK has taken another step forward. An example of the former high-density commuter passenger electric multiple unit class 321 has been rolled out in a new guise....Read more
Parcels as passengers – the latest UK innovation
All aboard, as long as you are properly labeled and someone is waiting to pick you up at your destination station. The latest light logistics ideas propose that the sharp decline in commuter passenger traffic...Read more
Freight and passenger operators team up for medical supply service in UK
InterCity RailFreight and CrossCountry are to provide vital support to the medical sector across the UK. The long distance passenger train operator CrossCountry, which has the most geographically comprehensive network of all the passenger operators,...Read more
Heathrow line passenger trains converted for fast freight service
Specialist carrier Rail Operations Group has moved much closer to the launch of its Orion-branded fast freight operation. What used to be called parcels, and is now better described as light logistics, needs a fleet...Read morePlans move ahead for Orion light goods
Rail Operations (UK) have revealed their latest ambitions for a Britain-wide, high-speed light goods service. Of all the current plans and existing operations, RO (UK) has the most extensive intentions. The specialist freight and rail...Read more
Pandemic promotes growth in passenger load freight
UK ‘on passenger train’ logistics operator Intercity Railfreight has announced expansion of its same-day delivery network. In response to the anticipated need for rapid medical supplies deployment, the company has secured agreements with long distance...Read more
The rebirth of the once familiar Red Star service
The decrease in passenger traffic due to the pandemic has accelerated several plans for high-value and light goods freight services. Both freight and passenger operators across Europe are bringing projects online, or planning to get...Read more
‘Make old railheads serve future freight needs’
Passenger terminals and former smoke-stack sidings provide the clean, green alternative to city-wide congestion. An economical way to answer the needs of modern freight operations might be to dual-purpose passenger assets and recycle former facilities,...Read more