The Bulgarian Ministry of Transport and Communications announced that it has received funding approval from the European Union for the construction of a new intermodal terminal in the city of Ruse, located in the north of the country on the border with Romania. The project is part of a broader program to develop the region’s transport infrastructure and aims to strengthen Bulgaria’s logistics potential.
On December 19, 2025, a Maersk vessel operating on the MECL service successfully transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea under the highest safety precautions. The company notes that this does not mean a complete return to routes through the Suez Canal; changes will be implemented gradually as safety permits. In early January, heavy snowfalls in Northern Europe, including the ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, slowed operations and temporarily suspended terminal operations, causing cargo delays. Maersk recommends that customers consider possible extended processing times, plan import container pickups in advance, and adjust delivery schedules.
Adif and intermodal operator Combiconnect are due to begin the first test operations with freight trains at the La Llagosta terminal near Barcelona in January, following the completion of the initial phase of works at the site.
Alataw Pass remains one of the key rail gateways between China and Central Asia, connecting onward to Europe via Kazakhstan. The volumes recorded in 2025 reflect sustained use of the corridor for long-distance freight movements linking Chinese inland production centres with European destinations.
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company JSC and KazMunayGas National Company JSC, in compliance with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s order to digitalize petroleum product circulation, have implemented a mechanism for the operational exchange of information. This joint solution aims to create a transparent and continuous system for monitoring the movement of petroleum product railcars within the country, as well as monitoring their import volumes.
The dry cargo vessel “Gafur Mamedov,” owned by ASCO, a subsidiary of AZCON Holding, completed a major overhaul at the Torlak shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul. The work included a full range of measures to ensure the vessel’s continued five-year service life, which has been operating outside the Caspian Sea since 2017.
Since the beginning of 2025, Kazakhstan has recorded an 8.1% increase in freight traffic by all modes of transport compared to the same period last year. From January to November, the country’s transport system transported 1.056 billion tons of freight, with total freight turnover reaching 522.4 billion tonne-kilometers, an 11.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Passenger traffic also increased by 11.9% to 1.764 billion passengers, with passenger turnover increasing by 7.6% to 81.5 billion passenger-kilometers.
PKP Cargo shareholders have approved a significant reduction in the company’s share capital, lowering the nominal value of shares from PLN 50 (€11.6) to PLN 1 (€0.23). As a result, the company’s share capital fell from PLN 2.24bn (€521m) to PLN 44.8m (€10.4m).
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the central section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway and the longest highway tunnel in the world, has officially opened in China. It stretches 22 kilometers. Built in five years using innovative engineering solutions, the tunnel passes through the Tianshan Mountains at an altitude of approximately 3,000 meters above sea level, in extreme climates where temperatures can drop to -42°C. The tunnel’s opening has reduced travel time between Urumqi and Korla by almost half, to approximately 3.5 hours.
JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is piloting the innovative KinetiX rolling stock inspection system at Astana station. The system has already been installed and, according to KTZ’s press service, will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026. The system’s performance was assessed by the company’s Chairman of the Board, Talgat Aldybergenov, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Murat Toregeldin, and Director of the Transportation Process Directorate branch, Vladimir Petrov, during a visit to Sorokovaya station.
