Intermodal success in 2017 for Contship Italia Group
A rise in intermodal rail business last year by Italian operator, Contship Italia Group, came against the backdrop of an overall fall in freight volumes for the group. Some good performances were achieved at Contship’s flagship...Read more
Chinese rail freight slowed in December
China’s rail freight volume in December posted a year-on-year decline for the first time in 17 months, according to new government figures. It’s being seen as the latest sign that Beijing’s war on urban pollution is...Read more
Silk Road Summit: ‘Blockchain can be a game changer for rail freight’
The use of blockchain technology within the rail freight sector has the potential to be a ‘game changer’ for the industry. That’s the view of Dutch logistics expert Klara Paardenkooper, a key speaker at the...Read moreTesting of automatic freight trains in The Netherlands confirmed
French rail engineers Alstom have signed a deal with Dutch rail manager ProRail and operator Rotterdam Rail Feeding to begin testing automatic freight trains in The Netherlands. Starting this year, the Automated Train Operation (ATO) test...Read more
Record 2017 rail cargoes for Germany’s Port of Kiel
The Port of Kiel in northern Germany handled over 32,000 rail freight consignments last year, a rise of 9.5 per cent, according to official figures. These intermodal successes helped ensure 2017 was one of the best...Read more
Bank loan for Tunisian rail freight networks
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is loaning 160 million Euros to the Tunisian government to invest in two key rail networks. They are between the capital Tunis and Kasserine, on the border...Read more
Freight innovators could share in new Shift2Rail funding
The European Union-backed Shift2Rail project is inviting the most innovative rail freight proposals to share in a new finance package worth more than 155 million Euros. Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU) has announced its latest Call...Read more
150 years and counting for SBB Cargo’s beer train
SBB Cargo has renewed a remarkable 150-year agreement with Switzerland’s largest brewery Feldschlösschen to carry its beer shipments until 2021 and possibly beyond. Feldschlösschen Getränke AG, which produces numerous beers, sweet drinks and mineral waters, has...Read more
Rail hub Genoa to stage UIC Global Rail Freight Conference
The Italian port city of Genoa, which sits on a crucial European freight corridor, will host the International Union of Railways’ (UIC) 6th Global Rail Freight Conference this June. ‘Modal Integration at the service of Global...Read more
Deal signed to expand Trans-Caspian freight corridor
Multimodal operators on the ‘Middle Corridor’ Trans-Caspian international freight route (TITR) have signed a new agreement on expansion of the network. Representatives of the ports of Kazakhstan, including the Khorgos Gateway dry port on the Chinese...Read more
UK north transport plan ‘good for modal shift’, says RFG
The Rail Freight Group (RFG) believes the UK Government’s draft transport plan for the north could be a springboard for large-scale modal shift to rail. It was responding to the proposals set out by Transport for...Read moreDutch freight services run through nature reserve
Rail freight services have begun operating along a controversial route through a nature reserve in The Netherlands. A weekly service is running between Budel and Weert in Brabant province, in the south of the country, via...Read more
Green Cargo’s woodchip wagons go XXXL
Scandinavian freight operator Green Cargo is upsizing its rail shipments of wood chips to established client Söderenergi by switching to XXXL containers. Eight years since after first delivering wood chips to Söderenergi’s fuel terminal in Nykvarn,...Read more
Market share fall for Spanish rail freight
Rail freight had only a 1.4 per cent market share in the Spanish transport market in 2016, according to the Anti-trust Spanish Authority (CNMC). The Spanish rail freight industry´s incomes totalled 290 million Euros, way...Read more
Award for P&O Ferrymasters’ intermodal security
P&O Ferrymasters’ intermodal division has been praised for its efforts to protect goods at high risk of theft. The commendation has come from the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), an international forum, an international forum working to reduce...Read more
Savvy Telematics signs up with Switzerland’s SBB
Savvy Telematics is to begin fitting Swiss Federal Railways’ (SBB) wagons with its GPS-equipped tracking software. The long-term partnership is aimed at improving the productivity and efficiency of SBB’s rail fleet by using the very...Read more
EU consultation on freight noise rule changes
The European Union Agency for Railway (ERA) is running a consultation on draft changes to technical rules governing noise from rail freight wagons. It is proposing a revision of the technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs) so...Read more
Gotthard Tunnel’s freight shift secures 2018 Railway Award
Gotthard Base Tunnel, which is at the heart of the crucial Rhine-Alpine rail freight axis, has been named as the winner of the 2018 European Railway Award. The world’s longest rail tunnel – linking Italy with...Read moreBook now for RailFreight Summit 2018
Influential rail freight industry leaders head the bill for the Silk Road Gateway Poland event, the first RailFreight summit taking place in Poland in March. Registration is also now open for those wanting to attend this...Read more