International rail

Work has started on the first phase a £250 million (about US$380.8 million) program to improve performance and capacity on the Stafford, U.K., section of Europe’s West Coast Main Line.

More than 5 million commercial trucks crossed the U.S.-Mexican border in 2012, a 4.8 percent increase from 2011 that set a new record. Unfortunately, Troy Ryley says, too many tractor-trailers were headed in one direction — north.

Russian Railways, Siemens and Sinara Group have entered into a collaboration deal on producing locomotives.

Russian Railways, Tatravagonka and TransContainer have signed an agreement to cooperate on the scientific and technical development, manufacturing and testing of high-speed platforms mounted on die-welded bogies.

State-owned Container Corporation of India has launched a regular intermodal rail service between the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal at Cochin Port and Bangalore, a southern hinterland destination, following an appeal by terminal operator DP World.

Globaltrans’ revenue surged 22 percent in 2012, but profit dipped 2 percent as the Russian rail freight operator sharply increased borrowing to finance acquisitions that boosted its share of the fast-growing domestic cargo market.

India’s Ministry of Railways has decided to reduce haulage charges for containers transported by rail in privately owned railcars, effective April 1.

In April, MacAndrews will set up a refrigerated train service linking Murcia with Balboa in Spain, in order to reinforce its current European 45-foot container reefer multimodal service.

CEVA Logistics has launched a new China to Europe railway service.

Indian Railways reported its revenue-earning freight traffic from April 2012 to February 2013 was 911.53 million metric tons, increasing 35.93 million metric tons, or 4.1 percent...

Indian Railways reported earnings from April 2012 to February 2013 were Rs. 111984.89 crore (about US$20.6 billion), rising 20.4 percent compared with $17.1 billion during the same period in the previous year.

Etihad Rail has secured a $1.28 billion loan for Stage One of its railway project, which comprises the route from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais in the United Arab Emirates.

In the last six months of 2012, KiwiRail reported its operating revenue rose 4 percent year-over-year to almost $363 million and its operating surplus increased 7.6 percent to nearly $47 million.

Hungary has unveiled plans to build a 70-mile double-track railroad crossing the river Danube to exploit the nation’s geographical location to handle freight moving between eastern and western Europe.

Titagarh Wagons and FreightCar America have agreed to dissolve their Indian joint venture company.

Indian Railways hauled 92.6 million metric tons of revenue-earning freight in January, up 6.4 percent from the total in January 2012.

Rio Tinto, a British-Australian multinational metals and mining corporation based in London, has applauded the Australian Competition Tribunal’s decision that its Hamersley and Robe rail lines...

Indian Railways reported its revenue from April 2012 to January 2013 was Rs. 101,223.95 crore (about US$18.8 billion), increasing 20 percent from $15.6 billion...

India’s Ministry of Railways has formulated final draft policy on “Rail Terminals at Private Ports,” which is now open for suggestions and comments from zonal railways and prospective investors until Feb. 10.

Grupo Mexico has allocated $3.5 billion for its investment budget in 2013, which will be presented for the approval of the board of directors.

NefteTransService is preparing an initial public offering in London that is expected to value the Russian rail freight company at around $2 billion.

Russian intermodal company TransContainer reported its rail container volume in the fourth quarter of 2012 was about 381,400 20-foot-equivalent units, increasing 5.4 percent from about 362,000 TEUs in the same quarter of 2011.

Indian Railways reported freight traffic from April to December 2012 was 735.1 million metric tons, increasing 4.5 percent from 703.8 million metric tons during the same period in 2011.

From labor battles to natural disasters, 2012 was filled with risk for shippers and the companies moving and managing their cargo. Here are the stories that defined the year.

French competition regulators fined SNCF, the state-owned rail company, 61 million euros ($80.5 million) for preventing new companies from entering the freight market following liberalization in 2006.

India’s state-owned Indian Railways moved 81.75 million metric tons (about 90.11 million tons) of revenue earning freight traffic in November, increasing 0.76 percent from 89.43 million tons in November 2011.

The freight trucking industry in China has been increasing at 13.8 percent per year to about $59.3 billion in 2012, according to IBISWorld’s “Freight Trucking in China” report.

Total revenue of Indian Railways, operated by the Indian government’s Ministry of Railways, reached Rs. 78868.17 crore (approximately US $14.5 billion) from April 1 to Nov. 30...

Etihad Rail, developer and operator of the United Arab Emirates' national railway network, has signed a memorandum of agreement with supply chain management company Sharaf Logistics...

The Export-Import Bank of the United States; Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Kazakhstan’s state-owned national railway company; and KTZ’s subsidiary Joint Stock Company Lokomotiv recently signed an agreement for a $425 million loan to finance the sale of 200 General Electric Evolution Series locomotives and locomotive kits to KTZ.

China and India today signed a memorandum of understanding to promote technical cooperation in the railway sector, including high-speed rail, heavy cargo and station development.

Etihad Rail, developer and operator of the United Arab Emirates’ national railway, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Sharjah Cement Factory, a subsidiary of Sharjah Cement & Industrial Development Company...

TCV Railway, the rail freight provider that forms part of terminal operator Grup TCB, will launch a container service between the Port of Valencia and Miranda de Ebro, a city in the province of Burgos, in Spain, on Nov. 23, the company announced today.