KTZ tests new China-Europe route to avoid the congested Black Sea
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) sent the first trans-Caspian China-Europe train from Jiaozhou, in eastern China, to the port of Koper, in Slovenia. The convoy, loaded with new electric vehicles, covered the 13,000-kilometre route in 45 days....Read more
A rail route in Russia was reopened to send LPG to Turkey
Sibur, Russia’s largest producer and exporter of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), resumed rail transportation between Tobolsk and the Russian port of Taman after a four-year hiatus. This new initiative will see significantly more Russian LPG...Read more
Railways once again to the rescue in earthquake-hit Turkey
The Turkish State Railways (TCDD) have evacuated close to 40,000 people from the earthquake-stricken area in Southern Turkey over the past few days, while they have also dispatched multiple freight trains with goods for the...Read more
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria, railway services suspended
UPDATEDFRailway traffic in Turkey and Syria has been affected in some parts due to the earthquakes that struck the border region on Monday. In Syria all railway traffic is suspended. In Turkey, it is mostly...Read more
New railway line connecting east and west, this time in Iraq
A new railway link from the Persian Gulf to Turkey and eventually Europe is in the design phase. The country of transit? Iraq. The country is speeding up the project, as it is well aware...Read more
ÖBB RCG launches Serbian subsidiary unlocking Southeast Europe routes
Rail Cargo Carrier – Southeast doo. The name refers to Rail Cargo Group’s new subsidiary, founded in Serbia. The newly established rail transport company (EVU) will provide its own traction with staff and locomotives in...Read more
Uzbekistan boards Middle Corridor with first train to Turkey
Uzbekistan has sent its first train to Europe via the Middle Corridor. The train left on 16 December headed for the Bulgarian port of Varna, where it will be transported further onwards to Turkey. The...Read more
First Turkey-Uzbekistan train inaugurates new corridor
The first freight train on the railway line from Turkey reaches Uzbekistan via Iran and Turkmenistan reached its final destination on Saturday 3 December. This is the first freight train running on the 4,500-kilometre-long line,...Read more
VIIA moves Turkey-France Ro-Ro cargo from road to rail
VIIA, a French transportation company, has launched a new rail freight service connecting the port of Sete, in southern France, with the Valenton terminal, 15 kilometres from Paris. This new connection is expected to boost...Read more
TX Logistik will increase frequency on Instanbul-Cologne route
TX Logistik, the European subsidiary of Mercitalia Logistics (Group FS), will increase the number of trips between Cologne and Instanbul. The Instanbul-Cologne service was launched in June. “One advantage is the transit time between Cologne...Read more
Zangezur corridor: Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement seems far
After the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signed in November 2020, the two countries have been discussing the creation of a railway corridor that would reconnect them, called the Zangezur corridor. However, the two countries...Read more
Can Turkey become China’s Eurasian game changer?
ANALYSISCloser trade relations with Turkey and its better integration within the Belt and Road Initiative seem to be in China’s immediate plans. The 3rd China-Turkey Communication Forum held on 26 September brought up some interesting...Read more
Metrans expands its network in Poland and Turkey
Metrans has launched new rail freight services that will expand its network from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The services will respectively connect Turkey with Slovakia and Poland with the Czech Republic. The...Read more
Turkey sends Trains of Kindness to flooded Pakistan
The first Turkish Train of Kindness, filled with humanitarian aid materials directed to Pakistan, is underway. Turkey is the first country to send humanitarian aid to Pakistan, where floods have already caused the death of...Read more
RUSCON explores new multimodal routes between China and Russia
Russian logistics operator RUSCON is going to launch a new multimodal container service between China and Russia via the port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. The first shipment is scheduled for 11 September, and...Read more
METRANS launches direct connection between Slovakia and Turkey
Rail freight in Southeastern Europe is about to acquire a new service starting on 3 September. METRANS will launch a direct link between its terminal in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia and the Halkali terminal outside Istanbul...Read more
First Kazakhstan-Turkey train via Iran, how can it help Eurasian rail?
The first train service transiting from Kazakhstan to Turkey via Iran is already transiting. The train departed from Pavlodar in Kazakhstan a week ago and reached Tehran in Iran on 19 June, after passing through...Read more
4 months of war and sanctions – an assessment of the alternatives
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, rail operators have looked for alternative routes between Europe and China. Nearly four months ahead, these routes have been established. We ask one of the key players,...Read more
A high-speed line from Bulgaria to Istanbul, also for freight
Turkey has come one step closer to having a high-speed railway link from Istanbul to the border with Bulgaria. The Halkalı – Kapikule project, which is scheduled to be completed this year, saw the first...Read more