China has successfully completed a test of an unmanned heavy-haul train on the railway connecting Hebei and Shandong provinces, marking a major milestone in the development of unmanned rail transportation technology. The nearly 1,300-meter-long, 10,800-ton train traveled from Huanghua City in Hebei to Dongying City in Shandong in 2.5 hours. The route is mainly used to transport coal.
A new round of applications for funding for transport projects under the EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme has opened. €2.5 billion is being allocated for the development and modernisation of transport infrastructure in EU countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova. The funds are expected to help expand the trans-European transport network (TEN-T).
A consultative meeting of heads of railway administrations dedicated to the creation of the International Association “Eurasian Transport Route” (ETR) was held in Baku. It was attended by representatives of railway departments of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Austria. The main topic of discussion was the creation of the structure of the new organization, working groups, as well as issues of route digitalization, commerce and logistics.
Rail&Sea Traction GmbH, a subsidiary of the Rail&Sea Group, has obtained safety certification for Austria and Germany as of September 20, 2024. This certification allows the company to expand its rail transport operations beyond its initial focus in Southeast Europe, where it has been active in Croatia, Romania, and Slovenia.
In Kazakhstan, 590 freight cars were produced in the first eight months of 2024, which is 4.6 times more than in the same period last year, the Ministry of Industry and Construction reports. The increase in production is due to orders from Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC for freight and passenger cars, as well as the locomotive fleet renewal program of KTZ – Freight Transportation LLP.
Aviator Airport Alliance has signed a multi-year contract with Pegasus Airlines for services at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL). The agreement entered into force in September and covers the airline’s full range of services. This cooperation expands on the companies’ existing contracts at Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and Gothenburg Airport (GOT).
The Shanghai Institute of Ship Research and Design of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has received in-principle approval for the construction of a new dual-fuel container ship. This vessel, which will be able to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), will have a capacity of 27.5 thousand TEU, which is 3 thousand TEU more than the capacity of the world’s largest container ship today.
The РТС Holding office in Astana was visited by a delegation of the South Korean transport and logistics company LX Pantos, headed by President Lee Yong-ho. LX Pantos is part of the LG Group conglomerate and annually transports more than 1.5 million TEU of cargo by sea and more than 120 thousand tons by air. The company’s sales in 2023 amounted to 5.3 billion US dollars. The visit to Astana was the first for the company’s management and was aimed at establishing cooperation with РТС Holding.
As part of a working trip to the Mangistau region, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, getting acquainted with the transport and logistics potential of the region. During a visit to the Kuryk port, he learned that since the beginning of the year, the volume of cargo transshipment has exceeded 1.5 million tons, and by the end of the year it is planned to reach 2.2 million tons. Completion of dredging works and the launch of a grain terminal are also expected, which will increase the port’s potential capacity to six million tons per year.
The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) and the Federation of European Private Port and Terminal Companies (FEPORT) are advocating for the introduction of a mandatory tax exemption for onshore power supply (OPS) as part of the review of the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD).
