Gotcha! Freightliner UK tagged with digital tech
Unexpected item in the marshalling area? The same sort of technology that makes sure your purchases are all accounted for at the supermarket checkout is also being applied to some items that may be a...Read more
Bio-fuel locomotive DB Cargo UK in full commercial service
DB Cargo UK and Tata Steel have completed collaboration and trials in commercial service, using the freight operator’s bio-fuelled locomotive. The two companies have successfully used the experimental class 60 locomotive, to run a load...Read more
How do EU countries apply infrastructure performance schemes?
EU countries have common approaches to the way delays on railways are penalised. The so-called performance regimes, part of the infrastructure charging system, appear to be more similar that expected, with some differentiations left aside....Read more
Sensors can solve weight distribution issues in rail freight wagons
Lithuanian company Viezo is working on sensors for the weight monitoring of freight wagons. Loading wagons too heavy on one side can lead to derailments, which has happened in the past. Like all of Viezo’s...Read more
DB Cargo equips locomotives with Alstom’s ETCS technology
DB Cargo agreed with Alstom to equip thirteen freight locomotives with the ETCS signalling standard technology. They will use Alstom’s Atlas ETCS Baseline 3 Release 2 solution, which complies with the latest European standards for...Read more
‘DAC is a real game changer for the European Green Deal’
“DAC will boost rail freight transport in Europe by increasing capacity, efficiency and quality of the system”, said Mark Topal, Programme Manager of the European DAC Delivery Programme. He talked to Shift2Rail about the ambitions...Read more
CER: European railways suffered 26 billion loss due to Covid
Passenger train services in Europe lost 24 billion worth of revenues in 2020, while freight services lost 2 billion. This is shown by data collected by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER),...Read more
Eurostar bailout and the effects on Channel Tunnel freight
The pandemic and lockdowns in the UK and mainland Europe have a severe impact on Eurostar, the operator that runs trains between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. The operator is on the brink of financial...Read more
Freight trains with semi-trailers banned from Great Belt Bridge again
The Great Belt Bridge between Denmark and Sweden has been closed for freight trains with pocket wagons with semi-trailers. The reason is an almost accident, where a trailer threatened to drop off a moving train...Read moreCongested railway track in EU doubled over 3-year period
The total length of railway track that was congested in the EU has almost doubled from 2015 to 2018. In total, congestion affected 2,261 kilometres of track in the 27 countries of the EU (3,32...Read more
Lithuania’s infrastructure manager plans to greatly improve rail capacity
LTG Infra, Lithuania’s railway infrastructure manager, has set ‘ambitious goals’ to improve the capacity on its railway network, which is mostly single section and has several congested lines. The company has carried out an in-depth...Read more
Poland modernises railway to Belarus to improve rail freight operation
PKP Polish Railway Lines is modernising several broad-gauge railway lines in the Podlaskie province. The works are important for the improvement of freight transport between Poland and Belarus, as well as between the east and...Read more
Alberto Mazzola starts as new CER Executive Director
“With the 2021 European Year of Rail, we have a real opportunity to show the many benefits railways can bring as employers and providers of sustainable mobility services. A shift to rail makes good sense...Read more