EU: CFR Marfa must now recover illegal aid 
The European Commission has found that rail freight operator CFR Marfa received at least EUR 570 million incompatible state aid from Romania through a debt write-off and failure to collect debts from the company. Romania must now recover the illegal aid, plus interest, from CFR... more
Pallet services forge ahead
Cranleigh Distribution Services, part of Pall-Ex in UK, has acquired the goodwill of the UK Pallet operation from Cranleigh Freight Services. The new business will share premises with the founder-member at Dunsfold Park. Cranleigh Freight Services was established in 1977... more
Another rail motorway in France to open by 2021
As hauliers and transport operators seek ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, Brittany Ferries has outlined plans for an intermodal transport service for unaccompanied goods-trailers, on the rail network along the French-Atlantic coast. The company... more
Austrian freight trains become “smart”
The Rail Cargo Group (RCG) has started the “SmartCargo” project in cooperation with A1 and A1 Digital to equip its wagons with special telematics. By the end of 2020, RCG freight wagons will have position detection, motion sensors and shock detection. With the additional... more
Scania deploys battery electric trucks in Norway
Norwegian wholesaler ASKO is using two battery electric Scania distribution trucks for its operations in Oslo, Norway. This pilot marks another milestone in the cooperation between Scania and ASKO with regard to electrified solutions for heavy transport. With the battery... more
Expanding into inland solutions for freight railroads
Navis, part of Cargotec, has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Biarri Rail, a global provider of planning and scheduling optimisation software for freight railroads. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of February 2020 and will support Navis’... more
Swiss intermodal operator launches P400 shuttle trains
Hupac Intermodal is introducing a new connection between Perpignan in France and Cologne in Germany. The new route will be integrated into the network starting from March 2020. With five roundtrips per week, the Swiss intermodal operator will offer new market opportunities for... more
French rail motorway operator introduces truck app
VIIA, the operator of the rail motorways of French SNCF group, has launched VIIA DRIVE, a new app for truck drivers. During the start-up phase, the app will only be available in Le Boulou before being opened to the other terminals. Available in ten languages, the... more
AB Texel Group acquires Van Leendert agricultural transport
As of 1 March 2020, AB Texel will take over Van Leendert's agricultural transport activities. "Changing market conditions and the lack of succession have led to this step,” said owner Eric van Leendert. Van Leendert transports bulk agricultural products through the... more
IRU and ETF urge EU to address driver shortage
The European transport workers’ federation (ETF) and the international road union (IRU) have renewed their commitment as social partners of the EU road transport sector to further improve working conditions for truck drivers. Unfavourable working conditions are an undeniable... more