Rail Network News

Crowley announced it will launch an end-to-end, integrated ocean and rail service between Mexico and the U.S. Midwest region and into Canada. Featuring Crowley’s new Mexico-U.S. ocean route in the Gulf, the service will leverage the inland rail network of Canadian National Railway Company and its U.S. rail subsidiaries (CN). The companies’ combined network provides broad reach across the Midwest and into Canada to increase solutions for global customers in North American market…

Global freight volumes fell at some of the fastest rates for three decades earlier this year, but at the end of the first quarter showed signs of bottoming out.Volumes were down by -2.1% between December and February compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Netherlands Bureau of Economic Policy Analysis (“World trade monitor”, CPB, April 25).The rate of decline was in the 8th percentile for all overlapping three-month periods since 1992; volumes have only fallen this fast during the last three recessions in 2020…

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that designed to help improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Following is the full list of FY 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Grant Awards:ALASKANorth Extension Stabilization Step 1 Project ($68,700,000), Anchorage, AlaskaThe Project will reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the “North Extension” (the area north of the existing general cargo terminals) at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska.

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…

Staff shortages caused by an ongoing strike over wages are impacting container and car terminals at South Africa's Durban port, one of the busiest on the continent, a unit of state-owned logistics company Transnet said on Tuesday.Transnet, which manages South Africa's freight rail network and ports, declared force majeure last week after its workers went on strike over a wage dispute.In an update on its website, Transnet Port Terminals said the strike had impacted waterside and landside operations at its Durban port…

The Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville said it has completed $24 million in infrastructure enhancement projects following a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant received in 2015 initiating big changes in Jeffersonville. All projects were completed in 2022.The grant provided partial funding for $24 million in infrastructure enhancements that has added four miles to the port’s existing 11-mile rail network. The projects have enhanced and…

Russian attacks on Ukraine's grain infrastructure look like attempts to reduce the competition in Russia's export markets, German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir was reported as saying on Monday.Ukraine could lose tens of millions of tonnes of grain due to Russia's blockade of its Black Sea ports, triggering a food crisis that will hit Europe, Asia, and Africa, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.“We are repeatedly receiving reports about targeted Russian attacks on grain silos…

CMA CGM Group, a shipping and logistics giant, has agreed to make a €25 million investment, including €10 million in quasi-equity, in Brittany Ferries, the largest ferry company operating under the French flag, to support Brittany Ferries’ post-Covid-19 recovery.Brittany Ferries said the partnership would help to unlock synergies between the two companies in passenger and freight transport. "By harnessing the respective areas of expertise of the CMA CGM Group and Brittany Ferries, it will also help promote the development of cross-Channel shipping and underpin France’s position in the sector.

Coal deliveries to Australia’s Port of Newcastle, the world’s biggest coal export port, have been halted because flooding in the Hunter Valley region has shut rail lines, with heavy rains also slowing ship movements at the port.Heavy rains along Australia’s east coast over several days have caused the worst flooding in half a century, with thousands of people being forced to evacuate their homes.

South Africa's logistics firm Transnet said it would reduce transport services and non-essential cargo operations during a nationwide lockdown that began at midnight on Thursday to contain the coronavirus.The state-owned company said shipments of metals and minerals would depend on demand and government approval. It was unclear if these exports would be affected.The transport of coal to state-run utility Eskom's power stations would continue, Transnet said.Transnet operates nearly three quarters of the African rail network…

Europe’s fastest growing port, the Port of Gdansk, has outlined huge expansion plans designed to double its cargo volumes to 100m tonnes a year, during a high-level maritime and business delegation from Poland to Singapore.The delegation marks 50-years of diplomatic ties between the countries and is being organized with PSA International, the Singapore based global ports group. In May this year PSA International formally acquired DCT Gdansk, the largest container terminal in Poland, in partnership with the Polish Development Fund and the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund.The Port of Gdansk Authority vice-president for infrastructure Marcin Osowski outlined plans to build a new €2.8billion Euro Central Port as ‘the biggest maritime investment project in Europe’…

North Sea Port and Lineas are joining forces to increase efficiency with 12 new rail connections to the European hinterland.According to a press note from the cross-border port that consolidates the port areas of Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Ghent, this is a significant expansion of the volume of rail transport from the port.A new rail connection between Interface Terminal Ghent and the Lineas Main Hub in Antwerp allows goods to be shipped via the international rail network of Lineas.The 12 new destinations are Madrid, Granollers (Barcelona) and Tarragona (Spain), Hendaye (France), Schkopau (Germany), Lovosice (Czech Republic), Curtici (Romania), Malmö (Sweden), Milan (Italy), Wels and Vienna (Austria), and Basel (Switzerland).

Canadian National Railway (CN) announced that COSCO Shipping has chosen CN to be the exclusive rail provider for the Chinese state-owned shipping company's discharge at the Ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montreal, and Halifax to all currently served CN destinations.“We are proud that CN’s supply chain logistics and focus on growth has earned the continued trust of COSCO shipping’s business,” said Keith Reardon, senior vice-president of consumer product supply chain at CN.“This is yet another strategic contract signed recently. By choosing CN to service all inland destinations on the network, COSCO will be well positioned to benefit from a unique tri-coastal access.

Over recent years the United Arab Emirates has emerged as an important maritime hub with grand ambitions. Mark Venables visited the region to discover what is driving that growth.When the UAE was elected to the IMO Council as a Category B member, it immediately raised its profile within the maritime community. The Emirates have taken a significant step forward in the maritime world.Despite this success, the region remains a challenging market for shipping and logistics. One of…

The Port of Long Beach, one of the greenest ports in the world, has selected HDR to perform the final design as it moves ahead with its $870 million effort to streamline rail operations and reduce bottlenecks at the second-busiest container port in the U.S.The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility Project will expand the port’s capability for loading shipping containers directly on rail cars instead of being loaded on trucks for short-haul trips. The expansion and reconfiguration of the existing Pier B railyard will create a staging area for loading freight trains nearly 2 miles long…

Iran's Amirabad port is attracting huge investments - 239 companies already committed investments, 13 of which are being under construction with 6700 billion Rials ($160mln ) worth of investment.“A new transit corridor will be formed on the axis of Amirabad - Dogharoon - Chabahar”, said Amirabad ports and maritime Manager Siavash Rezvani.He said that to increase the transit influence of Iran in the region, the new corridor will be formed with the transit axis of Amirabad-Dogharoon-Chabahar, and now the agreement between the countries of Iran And Afghanistan has been signed with the presence of Indian traders and will be operational in…

The Estonian terminal operator HHLA TK Estonia is strengthening its position as a RoRo hub in the Baltic region.The wholly owned subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) said in a press release that the Finnish ferry company Eckerö Line recently began connecting the port of Muuga, where HHLA TK Estonia operates a multi-function terminal, with Vuosaari in Finland. Twice daily, the RoPax ferry Finbo Cargo enters the port of Muuga, which is about 20 kilometres east of the Estonian capital, Tallinn. On the Finnish side, Vuosaari – located in the east of Helsinki – is served.The focus of the new ferry connection is on truck and trailer traffic, though passengers with cars will also be transported.

SEA\LNG, a multi-sector industry coalition, created to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, has announced that the Port of Virginia has become the first port in the US to join them.A press release from the LNG body quoted Peter Keller, Chairman, SEA\LNG, as commenting: “We’re very pleased to welcome the Port of Virginia as our first US port member. The US has vastly increased its LNG export capacity since the industry really took flight in early 2016, inspiring development in LNG bunkering capabilities on the East and West Coasts. The addition of the Port of Virginia to the coalition marks the climbing interest in LNG as a commercially viable…

Farm supplier CHS Inc has dozens of loaded barges trapped on the flood-swollen Mississippi River near St. Louis - about 500 miles from the company's two Minnesota distribution hubs.The barges can't move - or get crucial nutrients to corn farmers for the spring planting season - because river locks on the main U.S. artery for grain and fertilizer have been shuttered for weeks. High water presents a hazard for boats, barges and lock equipment.Railroads have also been plagued by delays from winter weather and flooding in the western Midwest…

APM Terminals, an international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague, said that its Gothenburg unit has launched The Gothenburg Gateway.Gothenburg Gateway will ensure that a container placed on a freight train anywhere in Sweden is loaded onto a large ocean-going vessel within 48 hours, and will shave up at least a week off the transit time to Shanghai.APM Terminals Gothenburg’s goal is for all parts of the country to have the same fast access to the world market.The Gothenburg Gateway, a new concept in Swedish logistics, combines: Fast, efficient freight trains from all over Sweden to Gothenburg, An efficient…

Canadian National Railway (CN) said that it plans to invest approximately $320 million in Ontario in 2019 to expand and strengthen the company’s rail network across the province.CN’s Ontario rail network stretches across the province, and the GTHA is home to MacMillan Yard, CN’s largest rail car classification facility, and Brampton Intermodal Terminal, CN’s largest intermodal facility.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers,” said Doug MacDonald, Vice-President of CN’s Eastern Region. “This year, we are continuing to…

Canada's Port of Prince Rupert, and DP World Prince Rupert announced a new weekly marine carrier service at the Fairview Container Terminal.ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) partnered with the 2M Alliance and has added Prince Rupert as one of their port destinations.With a global reach to over 100 countries, the new ZIM service has made its inaugural call at the Port of Prince Rupert on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 with the arrival of ZIM containers on the Maersk Altair vessel.“The Prince Rupert Port Authority is proud to welcome ZIM. The addition of ZIM to the Port of Prince Rupert further validates the Prince Rupert advantages of speed, reliability and reach.

Canadian National Railway (CN) said it plans to invest approximately $345 million across British Columbia in 2019 to expand and strengthen the Company’s rail network throughout the province.“Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers. This year, CN is planning to invest even more than last year to continue boosting capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on our corridors across B.C.,” said Doug Ryhorchuk, Vice-President of CN’s Western Region.The B.C. investments are part of CN’s 2019 record $3.9-billion capital investment focused on enabling growth from all commodity segments…