Europe

The Department for Transport announced the transfer of the Eurohub terminal in Barking to rail infrastructure operator Network Rail and its development arm, Platform4, for long-term management. Located in east London, the facility is the only terminal in the country capable of handling European-gauge trains on the High Speed ​​1 line, which connects the capital with the Channel Tunnel.

A new direct rail freight connection between Parma in Northern Italy and Sweden has officially launched this week, marking the start of a regular weekly service linking the two markets.

Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Raimundas Vaikšnoras and LTG Group CEO Egidijus Lazauskas signed a cooperation agreement aimed at enhancing the country’s preparedness for crises and potential threats. The document opens a new phase of collaboration between the army and the rail group, providing for more efficient use of LTG’s infrastructure and technical capabilities for military mobility, logistics, and the reception of allied forces. The parties plan to update security plans, conduct joint exercises and training, expand defense information exchange, and develop partnerships in military equipment repair, fuel supply, spare parts storage, and cybersecurity. Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications Roderikas Žiobakas noted that the agreement will be an important step toward strengthening the country’s resilience and defense capability.

ENNA Transport has operated its first freight train to Hungary, dispatching a 525-metre, 1,336-tonne service from the Port of Rijeka to Gyékényes. The train was handed over at the Croatian Hungarian border to ENNA Transport HU for onward movement to the MAHART terminal in Budapest.

Major European industry associations, including ACEA, Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, the European Sea Ports Organisation, European Rail Infrastructure Managers, and the International Road Transport Union, have called on EU Member States and the European Commission to significantly increase funding for the transport sector under the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The signatories insist on increasing the budget of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to at least €100 billion, emphasizing that without modern and sustainable infrastructure, Europe will not be able to ensure strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and crisis resilience.

Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) has officially integrated its Dubai representative office into its international network. Since January 2026, the “Port of Hamburg Representative Office Dubai” has strengthened Hamburg’s presence in one of the key hubs of global trade. The Gulf region is seen as a strategic hub between Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as a promising partner amid the transformation of supply chains and the development of alternative energy. The growth in business activity is already reflected in the figures: in the first nine months of 2025, container throughput between the Port of Hamburg and the UAE/Red Sea/Gulf countries increased by 28.8 percent to approximately 130,000 TEU compared to the same period last year.

Turkey’s General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments (AYGM) has published a General Procurement Notice for the “İstanbul Kuzey Demiryolu Geçişi – Istanbul North Rail Crossing (INRAIL)” project (Project ID P509952). The announcement was published in the Resmi Gazete on February 27. Earlier, on February 24, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced a preliminary agreement with six international financial institutions to secure $6.75 billion in financing. The financing will include a $2 billion loan from the World Bank, as well as co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund for International Development. According to the minister, the Northern Ring Railway will be Turkey’s largest externally financed railway project, with tendering procedures scheduled to be completed this year.

Ellerman City Liners announced the relaunch of its iPEX 2 service with a new Gdynia-Hull-Gdynia rotation, strengthening the direct short-sea connection between Poland and the UK. The updated route includes a call at the Port of Hull, bringing cargo closer to key logistics hubs in Northern England and the Midlands, including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster, Nottingham, and Birmingham.

Brazil’s Ministry of Transport and Crossrail International Limited signed a memorandum of understanding on 12 February in Brasília to expand technical cooperation in the railway sector.

Hutchison Ports BEST, operator of a major container terminal at the Port of Barcelona, ​​has commissioned the TIN (Terminal Intermodal de Navarra) multimodal complex following the completion of a modernization program. The terminal is located in the province of Navarre in northern Spain, near the border with France, and serves cargo flows from northern Spain and southern France.