Transalpine traffic: railfreight falls behind 
37 million t of goods were transported through the Swiss Alps last year, 4.7% less than in 2022, with road haulage declining by 1.4% and railfreight by 5.9%. 916,000 trucks and semitrailers travelled through the Alps in 2023 - 12,000 fewer than in 2022. Nevertheless, road... more
GBRF buys box wagons to transport bulk
The leasing company Porterbrook and GB Railfreight have signed an agreement for the production and purchase of 50 new JNA-X box wagons. The wagons will be manufactured by Greenbrier in the USA and will arrive in the UK in Q3/2024. They will replace aging assets and increase... more
First real-world test for H2 prototype
Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS) recently completed the very first trial run of X2.0, its second test vehicle, on the high-speed track at the UTAC Millbrook test centre in the UK. With fast refuelling, heavier payloads and a long range, the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain truck... more
Comprehensive timber logistics 
SETG investing in wood-chip boxes. There would appear to be plenty of innovation left in SETG, which recently commissioned the first of a total of 180 brand-new stake wagons called ‘Sflexwood’ (see page 22 of ITJ 1-4 / 2023). Christoph Böhm, the project manager of the rail... more
Push to reinstate Eyre Peninsula rail line
The agriculture network Viterra and the railfreight operator Aurizon have submitted a formal application for federal government funding of AUD 220 million (EUR 133.3 million) for the modernisation and reopening of the Eyre Peninsula rail network in South Australia. The... more
Scania to expand autonomous transport trials
With the start of its autonomous commercial pilot programme, Scania is accelerating the deployment of autonomous hub-to-hub transport. The manufacturer will also be involved in a new partnership with US-based software specialist Plus, which will integrate its technology stack... more
Sustainable timber deliveries
The German carrier DB Cargo recently completed its first rail deliveries of timber to Leuna, Germany, for UPM Biochemicals, establishing and testing the direct rail link to the company’s timber yard. The facility is scaling refineries to produce a variety of renewable fuels... more
Partnership boosts services to Eastern Europe
Launched on 1 March 2024, the new partnership with the Dutch Raben Group strengthens Europa Road’s services to and from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Europa Road’s network of sales branches in the UK and Ireland manage the shipments of goods into its 1... more
Swiss train drivers operate locos from afar
In partnership with Alstom, the Swiss railway company SBB was one of the first railway companies in Europe to trial remote-controlled locomotives in a marshalling yard during ongoing operations. To this end, 24 train drivers operated a locomotive located in Zurich-Mülligen from... more
DFDS doubles its e-truck fleet
The Danish logistics company has ordered about 100 electric trucks from Volvo, which will almost double its Volvo electric fleet to 225 trucks in total. It is the largest company fleet of heavy electric trucks in Europe, Volvo said. The updated and more efficient models -... more