Estonia wants to sanction RZD, but its rail sector does not agree
In the wake of a new sanction round on Russia by the EU, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed direct sanctions on Russian Railways, which would mean the complete stoppage of business between Estonian...Read more
FESCO’s volumes grow thanks to eastbound trains
FESCO, the Russian intermodal transport operator, has moved record-setting volumes in the first half of 2022. Numbers have increased for both international and intermodal transport. The company has also registered a minor decrease in TEUs...Read more
Russia-China rail underperforms, RZD in search of alternatives
Russian Railways confirmed their diversification plans for rail freight routes, which the market has seen as unfolding patterns for some months. Sanctions, however, are not the only underlying reason for their approach since, as the...Read more
Russian rail sector moves towards recession this year
The Russian rail and wagon-building sector are getting a hard hit from ongoing military conflict in Ukraine and the ever-tightening sanctions from West, and the situation is gradually deteriorating. This is according to recent statements...Read more
RZD finds alternatives until new Russia-China railway bridge opens
Russian railways launched a new multimodal route a few days ago, crossing the Amur river on the border with China. The service links Chinese hubs with the Russian city of Samara via the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge...Read more
TransContainer looks to South-East Asia: an alternative to the sanctions?
In May, Russian intermodal container operator PJSC TransContainer launched a regular freight service from Hanoi to the Elektrougli station in Moscow via the Zabaikalsk border-crossing point.Read more
Finnish VR Group to discontinue Russian traffic faster than expected
Finnish state-controlled rail company VR Group is racing to terminate transport agreements with customers on the Russian route. The company sped up the gradual phase-out of traffic to and from Russia and started concluding agreements...Read more
Rail freight Finland-Russia: traffic to phase out gradually, private operators affected
Rail freight traffic between Finland and Russia will gradually cease after the existing transport contracts of state-controlled company VR Group end. For now, traffic is still possible. However, in the following months, this will not...Read more
CMA CGM possibly new owner of Russian shares GEFCO
The French logistics service provider Gefco, together with its largest customer, the French-Italian car manufacturer Stellantis (including Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën, Chrysler and Opel), is at the verge of completing a complete takeover of the majority...Read more
In RailFreight Fridays: the rail impact of the war in Ukraine
VIDEORussia has launched several military attacks on Ukraine. In response, the EU has imposed heavy sanctions on Russia. Both will impact traffic on the New Silk Road. This Friday, we discuss what has happened so...Read more
Russia’s hydrogen plan: ‘it is all about the right infrastructure’
Russia is currently building a fleet of new hydrogen-based freight locomotives, completely in line with the recently approved state strategy towards hydrogen energy in the Russian Federation. But only by building new locomotives the shift...Read more
Russia resumes mega project: connecting North Sea Route with Indian Ocean by rail
Russia is resuming the implementation of an ambitious railways project, which should connect the ports of the Pacific and Indian Oceans with the Northern Sea Route. The project was put on hold during the pandemic,...Read more
China-UK service via Kaliningrad to go eastbound
The latest UK service from Xi’an to the port of Immingham will become available for eastbound services. This was reported by Bahnoperator, the company providing railway traction on the European part of the journey. The...Read moreGefco put up for sale by stakeholders RZD and Stellantis
Shareholders Stellantis and the Russian railway company RZD are making another attempt to reduce their stake in transport company Gefco. Two years after the failed IPO, they have now put Gefco up for sale. The...Read more
Maersk’s AE19 service paces up after Suez blockage
Maersk’s AE19 rail service using the Trans-Siberian route is about to experience another increase of trips following its customers’ growing demand. Eastbound trains will now travel once per week instead of every fifteen days, while...Read more
New Silk Road carries another medical train, this time to Paris
A block train loaded with medical equipment has left the Chinese province of Jiangxi today, 4 June, headed for Paris. The service is organised by Russian Railways, SNCF Forwardis, COSCO Group and JSC UTLC ERA,...Read more