Polish Rolling Stock Lessor Eurowagon Secures Access to Spain
Polish rolling‑stock lessor Eurowagon has secured registration with Spain’s State Agency for Railway Safety, allowing its wagons to run on the Spanish rail network. The company already operates a fleet of more than 2,500 intermodal and open wagons across several European markets, with an average age of 14 years. The Spanish entry follows a 2023 loan from KfW IPEX‑Bank that funded the purchase of 800 additional wagons and a recent launch in Sweden. Eurowagon says the move expands its green, cross‑border freight offering.
Double Trouble: German Rail Freight Faces Simultaneous Closures on Two Key Corridors
Germany is facing its largest rail shutdown ever as the nine‑month closure of the Hamburg‑Berlin line is compounded by the upcoming shutdown of the Hamburg‑Hannover corridor on 1 May. The works, described by DB InfraGO as a ‘quality initiative’, involve renovating...
Cars for Cargo with DB Cargo UK
DB Cargo UK has secured a seven‑year rail freight agreement with CAT UK to transport finished Jaguar Land Rover vehicles from the Halewood plant to the Port of Southampton. The service will run up to three trains per week, linking...
Infrabel Reassigns €124.5M as Flagship Projects Are Postponed
Belgian rail manager Infrabel is shifting €124.5 million (≈$136 million) from the postponed Ghent‑Terneuzen line and Antwerp‑Berchem station to four smaller projects, and adding €52 million in EU subsidies for a total of €176.5 million (≈$192 million). The re‑allocated money will largely boost rail freight,...
FS Logistix Launches New Link to Provide Relief Amid Fuel Crisis
FS Logistix, the Italian state‑owned rail freight operator, has launched a new service called Rail4Truck linking Marcianise near Naples with Bologna. The twice‑weekly round‑trip aims to provide a diesel‑free logistics alternative as Italy’s diesel prices jumped 16.85% between February and...
Croatia Signs €280 Mln Contract with Spanish Company for Zagreb – Rijeka Railway Upgrade
Croatia’s rail infrastructure manager HŽ Infrastruktura signed a €280 million (≈$300 million) contract with Spanish contractor COMSA to upgrade the 44‑kilometre Zagreb‑Rijeka line between Hrvatski Leskovac and Karlovac. The project will add a second track, fully electrify the route and replace signalling...
Russia Offers the CKU Railway Help and a Snarky Remark
China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are advancing the CKU railway, a cross‑border link that will join China’s standard‑gauge network with Central Asian routes. Russia’s deputy transport minister Dmitriy Zverev visited Bishkek and pledged Russian technology, staff training and rolling‑stock assistance. He...
‘Certain Reluctance’ of Shippers to Adopt Intermodal Transport
Portmann, together with DB Cargo France, launched a daily intermodal shuttle linking Metz and the Valenton rail hub, primarily serving IKEA. The service can move up to 44 containers per day but currently transports only 26‑30, leaving excess capacity on...
Geopolitics Home to Roost at a Rail Terminal Near You
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have forced container ships to bypass the Suez Canal, sending vessels around the Cape of Good Hope and causing large, irregular cargo arrivals at UK ports. The resulting clustering of containers overwhelms rail terminals,...
Port of Constanta Finalises Acquisition of Moldova’s only Sea-River Port
The Romanian Port of Constanta completed a €62 million (~$68 million) purchase of 100% of ICS Danube Logistics, taking ownership of Giurgiulești International Free Port, Moldova’s only sea‑river gateway. The port sits at the tri‑border of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, linking directly...
Middle Eastern Countries Working on Direct Railway Connection to Europe
Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are coordinating a feasibility study for a new railway that would link the Gulf region directly to Europe. The study is slated for completion by the end of 2026, with construction potentially lasting four...
Duisport Closes “a Very Successful” 2025
Germany’s Duisport, the world’s largest inland terminal, posted strong financial and operational growth in 2025. Revenue climbed 9.6% to €390.5 million (≈$426 million) and TEU throughput rose 5.1% to 5.1 million containers, while total cargo volume held steady at 50.8 million tons. EBIT and...
What We Did in the Shadows: DB Cargo’s Bright Idea
DB Cargo UK has installed LED track‑side lighting at 17 freight yards, a project funded by Network Rail’s Freight Safety Improvement Programme. The lights, first trialled for three months at Margam Knuckle Yard, improve roll‑by examinations by illuminating the underside...
Vital Rail Freight Tunnel in Spain to Partially Reopen Next Week
Spain’s Rubí rail freight tunnel, a key link between Barcelona and France, will partially reopen on the night of 28‑29 April after months of closure caused by extreme weather damage. Adif will operate a single track, offering 12 hours of service Wed‑Sun...
German Access Routes to Brenner Possibly Delayed to 2050
The German segment of the access routes to the Brenner Base Tunnel faces a possible postponement until 2050 after Bavaria’s ruling coalition rejected Deutsche Bahn’s €15 billion (≈$16.3 billion) proposal for a new line to Kufstein. The rejection also delayed parliamentary review, leaving...
Russian Investigation Sounds the Alarm over Rolling Stock
More than a tenth of Russia's rail freight wagons—about 158,000 units—are currently unusable, pushing the working fleet down to roughly 1.2 million. Repair activity has collapsed from nearly 40,000 units per month in late 2024 to just 23,000 in February 2026,...
Portugal Admits to Years of Delays in TEN-T Corridor Development
Portugal’s Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) admitted that its ambitious Ferrovia 2020 rail‑modernisation plan, launched in 2016 with a €2.1 billion (~$2.3 billion) budget, has missed most of its milestones. The Northern Beira Alta line, intended to host 750‑metre freight trains and a...
‘Rail Baltica in Lithuania to Be Complete in 2034’
Lithuania’s portion of the trans‑Baltic Rail Baltica line has been pushed back to 2034, four years later than the original 2030 target. A new government planning document outlines land‑acquisition efforts beginning in 2028 and finishing by 2030 to enable the...
‘Dutch Truck Tax Relief Threatens Modal Shift Chances’
The Netherlands will cancel its newly introduced truck tax for the second quarter of 2026 to shield road haulers from soaring fuel costs. From July 1, a kilometre‑based levy replaced the weight‑based tax, eliminating fees for trucks under 12 tonnes and...
Two of RailFreight.com’s International Rail Sister Publications Merge
RailFreight.com’s sister sites RailTech.com and Railway Gazette International have merged into a single website, railwaygazette.com, effective April 20. The consolidation follows ProMedia’s earlier acquisition of several UK rail news outlets, bringing the historic Railway Gazette International under its umbrella. Existing...
Two Weeks Until the European Cargo Experience
The European Cargo Experience, organized by RailFreight.com, World Cargo News and Project Cargo Journal, will take place in Gdańsk, Poland on May 6‑7, 2026. The two‑day conference will spotlight terminal digitalisation, automation, interoperability and equipment, featuring high‑level speakers from IKEA, Tailwind, the...
Afghan Rail Imports Are Booming, but Transit Is Still Barely a Thing
Afghanistan’s rail freight volume jumped 39.1% between March 2025 and March 2026, moving more than 6.1 million tonnes of goods. Imports drove the surge, with the Hairatan terminal alone handling 4.2 million tonnes of oil, wheat, cement and other commodities. Exports and transit together...
Turkish Operator Pasifik Eurasia Establishes First-Ever Aegean-China Rail Link
Turkish rail operator Pasifik Eurasia dispatched a 50‑container block train from Izmir to Shanghai, establishing the first direct Aegean‑China rail link. The service travels the Middle Corridor, crossing the Caspian Sea and Central Asia before reaching China. Historically, 90% of...
Swiss Commission Proposes Tax on Electric Trucks
Switzerland’s transport commission approved a proposal to extend the heavy road traffic tax to electric trucks, ending the current exemption for low‑emission freight vehicles. The measure also requires tax‑category changes to be announced seven years in advance, aiming for greater...
Berlin Stalls on Rail Reform: ‘Missed Opportunity as Fuel Prices Rise’
Germany must overhaul its track access charge (TAC) system before the December 2026 timetable change, yet the transport ministry postponed the scheduled discussion of concrete reform plans on April 15. Rail freight operators, led by Die Güterbahnen, warn that uncertainty over...
Spain to Make Rail Freight Subsidy Scheme Permanent
Spain’s transport ministry announced a permanent rail‑freight subsidy scheme that merges eco‑incentives with compensation for track closures. A call for applications is slated for Autumn 2026 and will fund volumes moved that year. The previous eco‑incentive package covered 2024, leaving...
Dependence on Hormuz Highlights Need for Gulf Rail Freight Corridor
Maritime analyst Philip Delmas warned that recurring disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing Gulf Cooperation Council nations to accelerate the long‑delayed Saudi Landbridge rail freight corridor. The 1,500‑kilometre line would link Jeddah on the Red Sea with Dammam...
Sweden and Finland Agree on Facilitating Cross-Border Rail Traffic
Finland’s Traficom and Sweden’s transport agency have signed an agreement that streamlines cross‑border rail traffic at the Tornio‑Haparanda checkpoint. Effective 10 April 2026, a single safety certificate issued in either country will also cover operations on the opposite side of the gauge‑change...
2025 Results: ÖBB Rail Cargo Group Not Spared by Industrial Downturn
ÖBB’s Rail Cargo Group reported a 4% drop in transport performance to 26.2 bn net tonne‑kilometres in 2025, yet sales rose 6% to €2.09 bn (≈$2.30 bn). Earnings before taxes swung to a loss of €135.5 mn (≈-$149 mn), far deeper than the €24.5 mn loss...
Webinar Recap: The Role of Combined Transport During a Fuel Crisis
A RailFreight.com webinar featuring UIRR policy advisor Akos Ersek and Metrans head Martin Koubek examined how Europe’s combined‑transport sector can mitigate the current fuel crisis. They highlighted the mode’s lower dependence on oil, thanks to electric locomotives and trucks powered...
Lineas Is Once Again a Fully State-Owned Company
The European Commission has approved the Belgian sovereign wealth fund SFPIM’s acquisition of sole control of Lineas, returning the rail‑freight operator to full state ownership after more than a decade of partial privatization. The exact timing and price of the...
Railcube: A Solution Made in EU for the US Market
Dutch‑based Railcube entered the U.S. railway market by acquiring Spark TS, adding contractor‑compliance capabilities to its platform. The solution monitors drug‑testing, alcohol testing and training compliance for contractors and sub‑contractors, a need heightened by recent fatal rail incidents. Built in...
FS Logistix Launches North-South ‘Smart Train’ Pilot
Italian state‑owned freight operator FS Logistix has launched a ‘smart train’ pilot on the 1,000‑kilometre Milan‑Catania corridor. Approximately 700 intermodal wagons have been fitted with PJM’s WaggonTracker, delivering live data on brake performance, load stability, train composition and derailment detection....
‘Rail Freight Should Not Doubt Its Importance’, Says Port of Rotterdam COO
The Port of Rotterdam’s COO, Berte Simons, reaffirmed rail freight’s strategic role and announced major investments to accelerate a modal shift from road and barge. A new railway yard, Maasvlakte Zuid, is scheduled for completion in 2027 to serve the...
Spain Introduces Subsidy for Diesel Locomotives
Spain announced a €3.15 million (≈$3.4 million) subsidy scheme for diesel‑powered rail freight operators, running through 2026. The program pays €15,000 (≈$16,350) per active diesel locomotive to offset soaring fuel costs caused by the oil crisis linked to the war on Iran....
A Terminal in Southern Italy Will Reopen After Almost Two Decades
The Surbo rail freight terminal near Lecce, closed since 2009, will be put up for sale in July and is slated to resume operations by 2027. A survey of 61 regional companies revealed demand for up to 70 trains per...
Rising Fuel Prices Force Contract Terminations, but “No Large Crisis” (For CT)
Rising diesel prices, driven by the Strait of Hormuz closure, have prompted Slovak rail operator ŽS Cargo and Czech carrier ČD Cargo to terminate or amend contracts that involve individual shipments and diesel traction. Both firms cite fuel cost pressures as the...
Türkiye Rehabilitates Railway Towards Persian Gulf for Freight Operations
Turkey has completed a 350‑kilometre rehabilitation of railway lines along its Syrian border, including a 325‑km Karkamış‑Nusaybin segment and a 25‑km spur to Mardin. The upgraded tracks entered service on 31 March, forming a core segment of the Development Road project...
Will Europe Miss Out on Middle Corridor Opportunities?
The Middle Corridor, stretching from China through Central Asia to Europe, is gaining traction as a standalone market rather than merely a transit route. Beijing and Arab investors are pouring capital into warehouses, terminals, and new intermodal links, while European...
CargoBeamer Launches New Transalpine Intermodal Connection
CargoBeamer has launched a new trans‑Alpine intermodal service linking Stuttgart to Milan, operating four weekly round trips with a plan to increase to five. The route accommodates both craneable and non‑craneable semi‑trailers, including refrigerated and waste‑transport units. It replaces the...
Algeciras-Bobadilla Line Closed ‘at Least Until August’
The Algeciras‑Bobadilla rail corridor, the sole rail link to Spain’s largest container port, has been out of service since February after severe storm damage. The line’s collapse isolates the port from the national network, forcing cargo to shift to trucks...
Listen to the RF Podcast #10 – ‘Rail Players Need New Ways of Communicating’
RailFreight’s tenth RF Podcast, recorded at RailTech Europe 2026, examines the strained communication between rail infrastructure managers and freight operators. Guest Kris Kosmala, a startup mentor at D2XCEL, argues that current collaboration tools are outdated and hinder efficient freight movement. The...
European Loc Pool EuroDual Units Receive Balkan Homologation
European Loc Pool (ELP) announced that its EuroDual hybrid locomotives have secured homologation for operation in Slovenia and Croatia, joining Serbia’s 2023 approval. The move expands the geographic footprint of ELP’s fleet along the Adriatic‑Central Europe corridor, linking the ports...
Russian Rail Freight Might Gain Momentum From Middle East War
Russian rail freight is showing early signs of stabilisation as the Middle East war reshapes logistics demand. March 2026 volumes slipped only 2.1% year‑on‑year, a marked slowdown from the 4% decline in January. Coal shipments posted a modest 0.4% rise,...
Smurfit Westrock Puts Paper on Rail Between Germany and Poland
Smurfit Westrock has launched a dedicated rail corridor linking its Hoya mill in Germany with packaging plants in Poland, replacing more than 1,400 truck trips each year. The service uses 600‑metre trains operated by PKP Cargo and Transwaggon, aiming to...
11% of Russian Freight Wagons Unusable Amid Maintenance Crisis
As of March 2026, 11% of Russia's freight wagons—about 158,000 units—are out of service, nearly double the figure from mid‑2025. A steep 70% drop in wagon rental rates has slashed operator revenues, curbing maintenance spending and driving monthly repairs down...
Kazakhstan Increases Rail Transport to All Central Asian Countries
Kazakhstan’s rail freight surged 34% in the first quarter of 2026 versus the same period last year, driven by strong export and transit activity along the Middle Corridor. Grain shipments topped 2 million tonnes, up 50%, while ferrous metal exports rose...
Former Transfesa Logistics Now Operates Under the Name DB Cargo Iberia
DB Cargo has rebranded the former Transfesa Logistics operation as DB Cargo Iberia after selling most of Transfesa’s business, including its brand, to Spanish shipping group Boluda Corporación Marítima. The divestiture left DB Cargo with only the automotive‑related activities and...
Gloomy Outlook as Railways Come Under Fire
The global railway sector faces a perfect storm of economic stagnation, political resistance to sustainable transport, and direct attacks on infrastructure in conflict zones. In the UK, freight volumes remained flat at 4.2 billion net tonne‑kilometres in Q4 2025, reflecting a lack...
European Military Mobility Cooperation Deepens with New Agreements
European defence logistics took a step forward as nine NATO‑aligned states signed a joint declaration to prioritize military trains on the North Sea‑Baltic rail corridor. The Netherlands led the effort, adding explicit language for unhindered military transport and committing to...