Russian Railways cargo volumes slow down during summer
Russian Railways (RZD) is experiencing a slowdown in cargo transportation. In August alone, the national railway company experienced a cargo increase of 0.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, which amounted to...Read more
Middle Corridor grows as Poti witnessed an 80% volume increase
The Poti Sea Port, in Georgia, has experienced an eastbound volume increase of 80 per cent this year compared to 2022. The westbound growth is less significant, signalling a nine per cent increase compared to...Read more
Polish rail signalling malfunction could be linked to Russian sabotage
Railways in Poland experienced signalling disruptions over the past weekend, which impacted over 20 trains, with freight traffic being paused for precaution. Currently, the Polish rail authorities are investigating the causes behind these malfunctions, claiming...Read more
Connecting India and Central Asia via Latvia, how and why?
India has the ambition to step closer to Central Asian countries, but direct rail connections from India to Central Asia are unrealistic for mostly geopolitical reasons. Thus, rail-sea intermodal services become the solution, despite the...Read more
Saudi Arabia and Iran reactivate logistics service for Russian cargo
Russian cargo heading to Saudi Arabia can now transit on the Iranian rail network up to the port of Bandar Abbas. The option for this service was deactivated seven years ago due to the deteriorating...Read more
Floods disrupt rail services in Russia
The Kholodnaya River overflowed its banks last Saturday after heavy rainfall, washing away and damaging part of the Baikal-Amur railway line in Russia and making rail traffic impossible.Read more
Operail’s volumes drop again in the first half of the year
The Estonian national rail freight company Operail has transported 1,1 million tons of goods during the first half of 2023. This is the second consecutive year the company has lost significant volumes in the first...Read more
Will INSTC synergy attempts produce the expected results?
A new technology and logistics union is in the making in Russia to foster closer trade and economic ties with countries around the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. The union’s primary purpose will be to...Read more
China-Russia rail volumes set to drop despite recent monopoly
With eighty per cent of international freight trains leaving China ending up in Russia, as several Chinese rail platform companies confirm, China-Russia volumes have sort of monopolised the Silk Road lately. 2023 has undoubtedly been...Read more
Fesco to build container terminal on key INSTC node
terminal thursdayRussian transport giant Fesco will build a container terminal in the Ashtrakan region, an area of Russia that borders Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea. The location is relevant for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)...Read more
Russia-India: more test shipments for Chabahar port but no investments
The port of Chabahar is again becoming a core development point for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Russia, India and Iran plan more test shipments in the coming months that will include it. However,...Read more
Pakistan on track to become the new Persian Gulf gateway via rail
ANALYSISThe race to acquire a place in global supply chains is intensifying, and Pakistan seems committed to getting a good position. The South Asian country is on track to launch two railway projects, which are...Read more
Turkmenistan officially joins the INSTC
The Russian government has agreed to have Turkmenistan join the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The addition of Turkmenistan offers an alternative route on the eastern branch of the corridor that would bypass Azerbaijan.Read more
Reefer transport via Russia: possibility there, but what about demand?
EU products that need to be placed inside reefer containers, especially agri-food products, have had trouble transiting Russia for a long time. They were subjected to sanctions in 2014, while transit via Russia became possible...Read more
Volumes increase by 30%: a closer look at China Railway’s latest figures
China-Europe rail freight volumes seem to have increased by 30 per cent for the first half of the year, reaching 936,000 TEU. In terms of operated trains, the number has increased by 16 per cent...Read more
Kaliningrad sees a 37.2% drop in rail volumes for the first half of 2023
Kaliningrad Railway (KZD), an RZD subsidiary, experienced a 37.2 per cent drop in freight volumes loading for the first half of 2023. Between January-June, the company loaded 955.700 tonnes of cargo on its trains. The...Read more
Kyrgyzstan-Russia open new transport route, but what for?
A new transport route linking Kyrgyzstan and Russia via the Caspian Sea is about to open soon. The route will also cross Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and run through the Caspian Sea, linking the port of...Read more
New China-Russia railway bridge: 3 options on the table
Three options are now on the table for the new China-Russia railway bridge. The bridge will cross the Amur River, connecting Mohe in China with Dzhalinda in Russia, providing the Sakha Republic with direct access...Read more
Sanctions on China amidst Taiwan crisis: the next logistics puzzle to solve?
INTERVIEWWhat would happen in the case of an escalated Taiwan crisis? Would the West impose sanctions on China just like it did on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine? And how would such a development...Read more