New locomotives for central and eastern Europe 
Metrans, part of the German company Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, has ordered ten Vectron MS locomotives from Siemens in Czechia. The engines will be built in Germany and deliveries are scheduled from the end of 2019 until spring 2020. The locomotives will be deployed in... more
First rail link between Xi'an and Budapest launched
In the record time of ten days, the first train from Xi'an in China arrived at the BILK Terminal in Budapest, Hungary. The train was loaded with containers full of consumer goods and had travelled more than 7,000 km. The Rail Cargo Group (RCG) is the first railway company to... more
Elsen goes for LNG trucks
Elsen Logistik has purchased two Iveco trucks that run on natural gas as an alternative to electric vehicles. The German service provider is trialling the LNG units to set an example for more sustainability. Elsen is deploying the LNG trucks, which have a range of about... more
Reducing tyre-related breakdowns
Over the last two years, TIP Trailer Services Nordic has been testing Ultra-Seal on a representative number of assets to explore the options to reduce the number of tyre-related breakdowns and the costs. The overall test results show a significant reduction in tyre-related... more
Chinese coal hopper wagons for Australia
Aurizon, Australia’s largest railfreight operator, has ordered 264 narrow gauge coal hopper wagons from the Chinese manufacturer CRRC Yangtze. The first batch of 132 wagons will be delivered in Queensland by the end of 2019. The second batch of 132 wagons is due for delivery in... more
Albatros Express extends network
With effect from 10 May, TFG Transfracht is introducing a new set-up for the port of Koper (Slovenia) and providing it with direct connections to the Albatros Express network. The move means that, for the first time, containers can be transported according to a regular... more
UK: Maritime Intermodal officially launched
Following a recent long-term agreement between DB Cargo UK and Maritime Transport to increase railfreight capacity, “Maritime Intermodal” was launched at a celebration event in West Yorkshire (UK). Over 120 rail, logistics and retail professionals gathered at Wakefield... more
Field trial for digital freight documents
As part of Living Lab 12 (digitalisation of freight documents), the German association of freight transport, logistics and waste management (BGL) is participating in an EU-wide Aeolix field trial for the deployment of electronic freight documents in roadfreight transport.... more
Australia: award of big iron ore rail haulage contract
Macarthur Minerals has partnered with the Australian freight haulage company Aurizon to finalise a rail haulage contract for its Lake Giles moonshine magnetite project in the Yilgarn region of Western Australia. Macarthur has entered into a negotiation agreement with Aurizon... more
New north-south axis over the Brenner Pass
Kombiverkehr, which is based in Frankfurt (Germany), will add a new north-south axis to its European network. As from the beginning of May 2019, the terminal in Kreuztal in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district (North Rhine Westphalia), which was inaugurated only recently, will... more