Milestone for Gateway Basel Nord 
The Swiss competition commission WEKO raises no objections against the joint project proposed by SBB, Hupac and Rethmann. The major terminal Gateway Basel Nord (GBN) may have a negative effect on some of the competitors, but it can also improve market conditions for railfreight,... more
Emission-free and super-silent in the city
Can an electric truck keep pace with a diesel-fuelled vehicle in everyday urban traffic? The Germany-based contract logistics provider pfenning logistics has decided to explore this issue and is carrying out intensive trials with Mercedes Benz eActros trucks. In total,... more
A golden truck to celebrate 50th birthday
Temperature-controlled distribution specialist McCulla (Ireland) has marked its 50th anniversary with the arrival of a special Volvo FH tractor unit. The gold coloured Volvo FH-500 Globetrotter XL is joined by a further fourteen new Volvo FH tractors units that form the... more
First gas-powered truck in Memmingen
Gebrüder Weiss, which is based in Memmingen (Germany), put the region’s first gas-powered swap body vehicle into operation at the beginning of June this year, a move that will save the company about 20 t of CO2 per year. Nitrogen oxide output is 70 % below the limit for Euro-6... more
New hinterland connection for Zeebrugge
The Germany port of Duisburg (duisport), the port of Zeebrugge and the Cosco-Shipping (CSP) Zeebrugge Terminal in Belgium have decided to increase their cooperation. The three companies have signed an agreement regarding the new rail link for combined traffic with the... more
First Central Asian country ratifies e-CMR
The Tajik parliament has ratified the e-CMR protocol. Once Tajikistan officially notifies the United Nations secretary-general of its decision, the country will become the first in Central Asia to adopt the digital consignment note, paving the way for others in the region to... more
Belarus, Russia & Kazakhstan railways ink pact
A shareholder agreement was recently signed by the Russia-based joint stock company United Transport and Logistics Company – Eurasian Rail Alliance (UTLC ERA). The document indicates that the railway administrations of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan intend to continue... more
New hub for vehicle distribution in North America
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) has opened its new Vancouver Automotive Compound (VAC) with a capacity to process 168,000 vehicles annually. The new facility is in a prime location to handle vehicles made in North America for distribution in northern Washington State (USA),... more
Rail holds pole position in Hamburg
In Germany’s port of Hamburg more than 135 million t of seaborne cargo traffic are cleared annually. On the overland seaport-hinterland routes, rail is in pole position with 48.2%, ahead of trucking with 41.4% and inland shipping with 10.2%. In Q1/2019, a total of 12.5... more
On a new track 
Rail activities are losing ground to the roads worldwide. In Iran the national rail firm RAI is modernising and expanding its infrastructure and rolling stock, and linking international markets through cross-border routes. Saeid Rasouli, president of RAI since March, gave the... more