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Rail Operator News

19 Oct 2022

Police Guard LNG Ports as Germany Fast-tracks Critical Infrastructure Law

© JET-PIX / Adobe Stock

Germany has ordered police to guard LNG terminals under construction and increased aerial supervision of its rail network as it prepares a law to bolster the protection of critical infrastructure, its interior minister told Reuters.Suspected sabotage on the German rail network and on the Baltic Sea gas pipelines linking Germany and Russia in recent weeks have raised concerns about the country's exposure to attacks.Minister Nancy Faeser said in an interview it was not possible to comprehensively protect all of the more than 33…

08 Sep 2019

Expansion for Far East and Trans-Siberian Railway

FESCO Transportation Group, the largest intermodal transport operator in Russia, and Polish rail operator PCC Intermodal S.A. agreed on developing services of expedited cargo delivery from Japan, South Korea and China to European countries and vice versa through the Far East and Trans-Siberian Railway.The agreement of intent was signed during the Eastern Economic Forum.Using their experience and expertise, the companies are going to work on increasing the volumes of transit cargo shipped with Trans-Siberian Landbridge service launched this summer, and to attract new customers (European in the first place) to the service.In order to promote the service…

26 Aug 2019

Kalmar Bags Lineas Intermodal Order

The provider of cargo handling solutions Kalmar has been awarded a contract to supply leading European rail operator Lineas Intermodal with two Kalmar Hybrid Straddle Carriers, said its parent company Cargotec.The order was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q3 order intake with delivery scheduled to be completed in Q1 2020.Being the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, Lineas operates the intermodal rail connected terminal ‘Main Hub’ in Antwerp-North.The company’s Green Xpress network concept offers customers a door-to-door solution with daily, fast and reliable rail connections between Europe’s economic hubs, significantly improving the supply chain and the ecological footprint of its customers.

11 Jul 2019

Go-slow at Port Hits South African Car and Commodity Exports

A go-slow by workers at a major South African port is hitting exports of cars and other commodities, the country's Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday.State-owned rail operator Transnet said it had suspended a number of employees at its Ngqura Container Terminal for engaging in what it said was an illegal industrial action."We are getting reports of a go-slow at some of our ports which is beginning to (have an) impact on the export of vehicles from South Africa in particular but perhaps other commodities as well," Gordhan, whose portfolio includes Transnet, said.Carmakers including Ford, BMW and Nissan have invested billions of dollars to upgrade assembly plants and boost exports from Africa's top automotive hub.The action was also beginning to hit other sectors…

02 May 2018

Rapid Growth for Zaragoza Maritime Terminal

In 2017, the Terminal Marítima de Zaragoza (tmZ) increased its handled volume by 20 percent, to around 350,000 TEUs by rail and truck. Over the past five years, the terminal has seen volumes increase by more than 250%. Miguel Duro, Managing Director of the company, points to   the depot’s, “flexible service offering”. Following the addition of a railway siding in 2007 a private company was established  ̶  tmZ Depot Services  ̶  to operate the  terminal under a 35-year concession. APM Terminals Spain is a co-founder and holds a 45% stake in the company. The depot is a multimodal inland terminal exclusively focused on the maritime container trade.

24 Apr 2017

Japan Steelmakers Scramble for Coking Coal

Japanese steelmakers have bought coking coal from the United States, Canada and China to replace supply lost after a cyclone closed rail links in Australia, their biggest supplier, industry and trader sources said. Still, the Japanese buyers are paying nearly double the $150 a tonnes price that they were discussing with sellers for second-quarter supply before the supply disruption. The supply talks are now on hold and prices will likely stay high until full volumes start flowing again. In 2016, Japan bought about 71 percent of the 59.9 million tonnes of coking coal it consumed from Australia. "We've tapped supplies by bringing forward shipping schedules of cargos from Canada and the United States…

13 Mar 2017

New Intermodel from Antwerp Port to Rhine-Ruhr-Main

The rail operator H&S Container Line is introducing an additional round trip between Andernach in Germany and the two container terminals in the Deurganck dock in the port of Antwerp. H&S already operates on this route, but is raising the frequency to twice per week thanks to financial support from Antwerp Port Authority. The support offered to H&S Container Line is the result of a Call for Proposals (CfP) launched in October last year by the Port Authority to attract projects for improving the rail connectivity between Antwerp on the one hand and the Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main regions on the other. In addition to H&S Container Line several other operators also submitted projects, but not all of them met the conditions for financial support.

22 Dec 2016

H&S Container Line Starts New Rail Shuttle

Since December 14 2016, multimodal rail operator H&S Container Line is offering a direct rail connection between the port of Antwerp and Andernach (Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate). Andernach’s trimodal terminal is already connected to Antwerp with a frequent barge service (two round trips per week). The complementary rail shuttle offers new, sustainable opportunities especially for growing flows from Antwerp to the Rhine / Mosel region and for urgent deliveries from the local industry to the Seaport. Open acces train connection: With this rail product, an open access train connection between Antwerp and the region between Duisburg (Germany) and Strasbourg (France) becomes available.

17 Mar 2016

Cosco Pacific among Others to Bid for Greek Rail

Tender for the Greek rail service company Trainose, steams ahead with three potential suitors, say local media. Besides Hong Kong-listed Cosco Pacific, which is certain to participate, the tender has seen the return of Russian Railways, while there is interest from Italy’s Trenitalia for the first time. Cosco Pacific is being hotly tipped to clinch the bid for Greece’s state-owned rail operator just weeks after winning control of the nation’s largest port of Piraeus, a top Mediterranean container hub. Italy's state railways is considering bidding for Greece's rail network Trainose, a spokesman for Ferrovie dello Stato said on Wednesday, reports Reuters. Russian Railways (RZD) is considering bidding for Trainose and that Monday's deadline could be extended to allow more investors to bid.

10 Aug 2015

JNPort Takes Steps to Regularise Traffic - GTI Shutdown

As Gateway Terminals India (GTI) (one of the private terminal at JNPort, a JV between APM Terminals (APMT) and state-owned rail operator Container Corporation of India) is facing shutdown in operations due to the strike of contractor's employees engaged by Cargotek handling yard crane operations demanding their absorption in GTI pay roll, JNPort has made an all-out effort to regularise the traffic in and around the port. Some of the vessels meant for APMT terminal is being handled at neighbouring terminal of NSICT and NSIGT and JNPCT is handling the reefer export cargoes of GTI. In order to handle these additional vessels over and above their own window vessels, there was lot of pressure on the gates of these terminals and the queue of export Boxes had become long.

22 Jul 2015

Eurostar Breaks Passenger Growth Record, Despite Calais Strike

Channel Tunnel rail operator Eurostar has reported record quarterly passenger numbers despite the disruption caused by strikes in Calais. Around 2.8 million passengers travelled on the high-speed service in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 3 per cent on last year. The record numbers were despite disruption during ferry worker strikes in Calais last month over the sale of the MyFerryLink’s ferries to the rival DFDS Seaways. However, overall sales revenues for the first half of the year fell 2% due to the impact of the terrorist attacks in Paris during the first quarter and the closure of Eurotunnel following a lorry fire.

03 Jul 2015

Antwerp, Duisburg Ports to Upgrade Rly Link

The Port of Antwerp and duisport are intensifying their cooperation as the Port of Antwerp will participate in the existing rail shuttle service connecting the two ports. The direct rail connection from Duisburg to Antwerp was set up by the duisport Group in 2006 under difficult competitive conditions with regard to road and inland waterway transport. The decision by the Port of Antwerp to participate in the rail link underlines the commitment of both ports to further develop this important European logistic corridor. Since the beginning of this year duisport agency GmbH (dpa), a subsidiary of Duisburger Hafen AG, has offered a direct daily departure by rail to Duisburg from a deepsea quay (Q1700) in the Port of Antwerp.

21 Nov 2014

Belgian Strike to Impact Antwerp Port

A strike in parts of Belgium on Monday is expected to disrupt rail services and one of Europe's largest ports as trade unions and workers voice their anger over austerity measures announced by the country's new government. Unions have planned a series of regional strikes on every Monday until Dec. 15, when they plan a day of nationwide action. A largely peaceful demonstration over austerity in Brussels this month ended in violent clashes between a few hundred protesters and police. National rail operator SNCB said it expected severe disruption across its network on Monday. High speed operator Thalys, which runs trains to Amsterdam and Paris, said it had cancelled some trains from Sunday to Tuesday and would divert some services on Monday.

21 Aug 2014

Mozambique: $30b Invested for 2018 LNG Export

More than $30 billion will be invested initially in Mozambique's natural gas sector to build capacity to produce 20 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with the first exports due to start in 2018, the national oil company said. The investments will be made to develop the northern ports of Pemba and Palma, where a giant logistics base and LNG production plants are planned that will use gas produced from offshore fields in the Rovuma Basin being developed by U.S. oil major Anadarko Petroleum Corp and Italy's Eni. Mozambique, which still bears the scars of a 1975-1992 civil war, is hoping revenues from its large gas deposits and its fledgling coal mining industry will help it emerge from years of poverty and dependence on foreign donors.

08 Jul 2014

Marseilles Fos to Receive Rail Service Upgrade

Photo courtesy of Marseilles Fos

Rail operator Naviland Cargo is lifting the frequency of its Marseilles Fos-Strasbourg service from three to five round trips per week by the end of the year. Naviland announced the upgrade when more than 90 Alsace-based shippers and transport professionals attended a presentation in Strasbourg by promotional body Via Marseilles Fos (VMF) – formed by the port authority, port users and the chamber of commerce – which was hosting its first event in the key hinterland region. With 10 trains per week serving Strasbourg…

27 Apr 2014

Siemens And France Weigh In As GE Eyes Alstom Deal - Update

Siemens and the French government intervened in General Electric's plan to buy the power arm of Alstom on Sunday with an alternative European "champions" tie-up proposal and a pledge to act inFrance's national interest. Though French trains-to-turbines maker Alstom is privately owned, firebrand Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg issued a stark reminder of the influence the government holds over a company that relies heavily on orders from state rail operator SNCF and partly state-owned utility EDF. "GE and Alstom have their calendar, which is that of shareholders, but the French government has its own, which is that of economic sovereignty," Montebourg said in a statement, providing the first official confirmation of GE's offer.

27 Apr 2014

Siemens Weighs In As GE Prepares Alstom Power Deal

Alstom's arch rival Siemens wants talks with the struggling French engineering group, the German company said on Sunday, the day General Electric boss Jeff Immelt is due in Paris to thrash out a deal to buy Alstom's global power arm. Siemens said in a statement that it had written a letter to "signal its willingness to discuss future strategic opportunities" with the French group. France's government has said it wants to find alternatives to the GE offer, which sources say puts a value of $13 billion on the turbines and power grid equipment business and could be announced in days. Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg said last week that he plans a meeting with Immelt.

02 Apr 2001

New Zealand Ports Operator Explores Further Networks

New Zealand ports operator Ports of Auckland said on Monday that it is looking at up to eight options to encourage shippers to send more export containers through its facilities, but had made no decision on whether to build an inland port in Hamilton. The company reportedly is considering building an inland container port beside the main trunk railway line in Hamilton. Ports of Auckland announced last month that it would operate its own rail network service between Palmerston North and Auckland, in conjunction with national rail operator Tranz Rail, from the second quarter of this year. A Ports of Auckland spokeswoman said that the company was examining opportunities that would see export containers gathered and sent to Auckland via domestic transport.

16 Oct 2006

Sea Containers Files for Chapter 11

Sea Containers Ltd. Announced that, in order to achieve a financial restructuring, Sea Containers Ltd and two subsidiaries, Sea Containers Services Ltd and Sea Containers Caribbean Inc, have voluntarily filed for protection under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The filings were made on October 15 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Other than the two subsidiaries listed above, no other subsidiary company within the group has filed for protection. Operating subsidiaries such as Great North Eastern Railway (GNER), the U.K. rail operator, and the SeaStreak ferry services in New Jersey, will continue their normal day to day operations. GE SeaCo, the joint venture container leasing business, is

26 Apr 2014

GE In Talks To Buy Alstom's Power Arm

U.S. industrial conglomerate General Electric Co is in advanced talks to buy the global power division of struggling French engineering group Alstom SA for about $13 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Sources said a deal was backed by Alstom's main shareholder, French conglomerate Bouygues with 29 percent, and could be announced in the coming days after an Alstom board meeting on Friday afternoon. The board was due to meet again on Sunday to discuss the transaction, French daily Le Figaro said. "Talks are going ahead swiftly, the deal's structure is defined and everything is almost ready," one of the sources said. Alstom Chief Executive Patrick Kron confirmed to union representatives there were talks about an "industrial deal," but did not name GE.