The first freight trains will start running on a new rail route between Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Crailsheim (Germany) from September. The route improves ECS’s logistics network, offering convenient connections to the UK and Ireland via existing rail and shipping lines. The project is being implemented in cooperation with Lineas, the largest private rail operator in Europe.
DB Cargo, a freight operator of the German railways (DB), has implemented a technology for monitoring the condition of wagons using artificial intelligence at eight large marshalling yards. The technology, installed in 13 diagnostic portals, allows around 10,000 freight wagons to be checked daily in motion.
A meeting was held in Abay region with the participation of the management of JSC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) and shippers of the region, where they discussed ensuring stable transportation both on the domestic market and for export. In particular, in the first seven months of 2024, loading in the region exceeded 6.1 million tons, of which 4.8 million tons were shipped domestically, which is 4% more than last year. Exports amounted to 1.3 million tons.
Over the past three months, more than 1,700 freight trains have been running on the China-Europe route every month. In July, the number of trains reached 1,776, transporting 185,000 TEUs.
In the first half of 2024, Stadler increased its order book by €2.5 billion to a record level of CHF 26.8 billion. However, other financial indicators were lower than in the same period last year.
The resumption of rail transport across the Baltic Sea by ferry has been made possible by recent infrastructure investments. In early August, a batch of rail cars from the Swedish port of Ystad arrived at the ferry terminal in Świnoujście. The container platforms were transported on the ferry Polonia and then headed to southern Poland for repairs. This is the second such transport in recent months, and another is expected in August.
The European Commission is preparing to ban state subsidies to the freight operator DB Cargo, which is owned by the German railway corporation Deutsche Bahn, starting from January 1. This decision is related to an investigation launched in 2022 into possible distortion of competition, when the state compensated the company for losses, giving it a competitive advantage over private operators.
In the Kostanay region, the volume of container transportation has increased significantly in the first seven months of 2024. According to KTZ – Freight Transportation LLC, the number of loaded containers increased by 516 units compared to the same period last year, reaching 8,273 container platforms. This year, 250 organized routes were formed, which ensured an increase in loading by 3.4%, or 10.7 thousand tons.
Azerbaijan and Georgia have created a joint venture, BTKI Railways LLC, founded by subsidiaries Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and Marabda-Kartsakhi Railway LLC. The new company will be responsible for the operation and management of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway section, as well as for organizing cargo transportation and attracting new cargo.
The design of the Iecava service point of the Rail Baltica mainline has been completed and has received final approval from the State Railway Technical Inspectorate. This facility will be a key base for logistics and construction of the mainline connecting Riga with the Lithuanian border.
