The CEO of Operail, Merle Kurvits, has responded to media attention for Operail Finland’s sale. Estonian media recently said Operail Finland’s sale was a 12 million euro “gift” to the Finnish rail industry. Kurvits refutes...Read more
Rail freight transit through Russia to the EU is nearly back at its pre-war level. As Houthi attacks endanger shipping on the Red Sea, shippers are looking for alternative routes. Consequently, the volume of China-EU...Read more
Russian exports of petrol via rail have been halved in March. The export reduction follows an embargo that the Kremlin introduced. It implemented the embargo to curb domestic fuel shortages.Read more
A petition to ban the export of manganese ore to Russia is picking up the pace in Latvia. The public initiative gathered a third of the required signatures for a parliamentary debate in a single...Read more
Russian logistics company FESCO has signed agreements with five Chinese logistics companies. The agreements, by and large, concern rail freight.Read more
Russian rail maintenance companies are struggling to acquire enough spare parts to service locomotives. They also face a shortage of highly educated staff. As a result, Russian Railways (RZD) has had to suspend or delay...Read more
The Russian government is considering giving priority to oil and gas on its railway network in its Far Eastern region. Earlier, Russian oil and gas companies reported regular refusals for transportation of their products from...Read more
Russian Railways (RZD) is benefitting from the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, according to a number of European logistics companies. As maritime shippers have diverted their routes, logistics companies are getting more and more...Read more
According to the US-based think tank The Jamestown Foundation, Russia hopes to use the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as a way to evade Western sanctions. The development of the corridor allows Russia to gain...Read more
Latvia has banned agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus. The Baltic country is the first EU country to go as far as to introduce a total ban on Russian agricultural products. The ban will last...Read more
Russian intermodal container operator PJSC TransContainer is included in the latest sanction package published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Russia-based company will no longer be able to conduct business with U.S. entities....Read more
Lithuanian rail operator LTG Cargo has run its first continuous pilot train across all Baltic countries. It is the company’s first independently run cargo train traversing all three Baltic states. As Baltic rail operators have...Read more
Belarus has started reconstructing its railway in the direction of St. Petersburg in Russia. A joint railway project with Russia aims to secure an export route through the port of the Russian city for Belarus....Read more
Estonian national rail operator Operail has announced a new business strategy that involves full privatisation. The privatisation is a necessary step to find additional financial sources. According to the company, privatisation will also enable the...Read more
Russia and China have reached a new record rail freight volume between the two countries. The total freight volume going through Russia’s Far East border crossings grew by 26 per cent from 2022, amounting to...Read more
Russia is granting Belarus a discount of up to 40 per cent on rail freight transportation, according to the Belarusian ministry of transport. The two allies have agreed on a discount that applies to the...Read more
Russian Railways (RZD) is facing a shortage of locomotives. The shortage is reportedly caused by a lack of importable spare parts due to Western sanctions. The situation has become particularly problematic in the fourth quarter...Read more
Lithuanian rail freight operator LTG Cargo transported 27.2 million tonnes of freight in 2023. Total volumes exceeded expectations by 2.5 million tonnes. In the difficult business environment following sanctions on neighbouring Russia and Belarus, LTG...Read more
Fear of a rail blockade is leading Russia to build three additional rail ferries for its Kaliningrad exclave. The country’s westernmost region is surrounded by EU and NATO member states which control all railways into...Read more
The Finnish government has decided to shut down all its eastern border crossings adjacent to Russia. The decision’s implementation starts today, Wednesday, 29 November. Only one gateway will be left open between the two countries:...Read more
European Silk Road Summit 2023“Here is an idea. Why not make the Middle Corridor a humanitarian corridor to transport essential goods such as food, energy, health (medical, pharmaceuticals etc)? These goods are always and critically needed, and the Middle...Read more