Romania state aid for rail freight operator probed by EU
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Romanian state support for rail freight operator CFR Marfa. The EC says debt write-offs may have given the company an unfair advantage. As the body which oversees...Read more
Medway and Renfe prepare new Cordoba-Sines rail link
Portuguese rail freight Company Medway and Spanish carrier Renfe Mercancias are preparing a new service between Cordoba, in the Spanish region of Andalusia, and the Portuguese port of Sines. This service will have stops in...Read more
‘Masterpiece’ rail swing bridge open at Port of Hamburg
Europe’s largest rail drawbridge has been officially opened at the Port of Hamburg with a symbolic first train journey. The new ‘bascule’ bridge provides a vital link between the port’s Hohe Schaar station and its...Read more
TX Logistik boosts fleet with 40 new TRAXX locos
Germany-based TX Logistik has signed a contract with Bombardier for the supply of 40 TRAXX MS3 locomotives. Under the deal, delivery of the locomotives will start in the summer of 2019. It includes a 15-year preventive...Read more
Felixstowe first UK port to carry one million TEU by rail in a year
The Port of Felixstowe on England’s east coast has become the first port in the UK to handle more than one million TEUs by rail in a single year. The millionth unit was unloaded onto...Read more
Renovation work in Marin Port’s rail connection
Marin Port Authority has contracted to MC Valvanera to design the renovation of the railway track between Redondela and Arcade, two key towns close to the Spanish north-west coast port. The authority wants to strengthen a...Read more
Port of Antwerp modal shift scheme invests heavily in rail
Rail projects are central to a 1.4 million Euros modal shift programme at the Port of Antwerp. The port is investing in sustainable initiatives over the next three years aimed at making freight traffic movement...Read more
Tesco to run ‘test train’ at terminal built for nuclear loads
Supermarket Tesco is reportedly planning a test rail freight service using a Scottish intermodal hub built to carry decommissioned nuclear materials. If successful, it could kick-start the interest of other commercial operators in using the...Read more
Poland to host first RailFreight Summit in 2018
Inspired by the economic potential of the New Silk Road, Poland is to host the first RailFreight Summit, organised by RailFreight and Nieuwsblad Transport, next year. The event, Silk Road Gateway Poland, will see expert speakers...Read more
GE fits digital ‘autopilot’ on Kazakhstan freight locomotives
The logistics arm of electrical giant GE has signed a deal with Kazakhstan Railways to equip its fleet of freight locomotives with an ‘intelligent’ onboard control system. GE Transportation’s Trip Optimizer (TO) works in a similar...Read more
Rail Cargo Group adds new Italy-China service
Austrian-based Rail Cargo Group (RCG) is strengthening its China-bound operations with the launch of a monthly container train from the Italian city of Mortara to Chengdu. It builds on a recent pilot and now regular...Read more
EU Council reaffirms rail potential of TEN-T corridors
The Council of the European Union has formally accepted the latest report on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), of which the EU rail freight corridors are a key element. Ministers from the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy...Read more
Maersk launches Algeciras-Cordoba rail freight service
Sea shipping giant Maersk Line has begun offering a rail freight service between Algeciras Port, in the Strait of Gibraltar, and Cordoba in northern Andalusia. The service has three weekly return trips, carrying 52 TEUs on...Read more
EU grant for ERTMS on Dutch freight locomotives
The Netherlands has received a EU grant of 32 million Euros to install ERTMS technology on Dutch locomotives using the Rotterdam-Genoa rail freight corridor. Part of a wider 83 million Euros package for various transport projects,...Read more
China trains ‘driving force’ in Duisport container success
A big increase in rail traffic to and from China will help Germany’s Duisburg Port record a 12 per cent increase in containers handled – up to 3.7 million TEUs – by the end of...Read more
Renfe Mercencias appoints Grant Thornton as financial assessor
Renfe Mercancias has contracted Grant Thornton as financial advisor to develop its budget cut plans. The Spanish rail freight operator will pay 152,400 Euros to the US-based audit company. Grant Thornton will drive Renfe´s sale of...Read more
GB Railfreight: rail regulator’s consultation ‘lacks understanding’
GB Railfreight (GBRf) says it has ‘diminished confidence’ in the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) over its consultation on charges to recover fixed network costs. The rail freight operator says it ‘objects strongly’ to the increase...Read moreEC approves Italian rail freight funding scheme
The European Commission (EC) has given the green light to an Italian funding scheme aimed at supporting the shift of freight from road to rail in the northern province of Bolzano. Running until 2019 and with...Read more
UK freight trains’ punctuality down this summer
Fewer freight trains in the UK reached their destination on time during the summer months of 2017 compared to the previous year, according to official figures. The Office for Rail and Road says 94.4 per...Read more