RailFreight

DB Cargo is in a race against time to break-even. This is a requirement in an EU State Aid procedure against the company. By the end of this year, the freight operator needs to reach its financial goals, but that looks impossible now. Bernhard Osburg, CEO of DB Cargo, shared this view with German press agency dpa. The CEO believes that reaching operational break-even is out of reach for the company this year. This means that DB Cargo will fail to meet the European Commission deadline.

Generalsanierung issues Published on 2026-09-17 at 09:58 A change of plans for both Hannover-Berlin works, and for the wider DB approach to track upgrades. Image: © DB AG Deutsche Bahn has once again been forced to revise plans for a major corridor renovation, this time on Hannover–Berlin, after work on a parallel line fell behind schedule and eliminated a planned diversion route.

CKU DEVELOPMENT Published on 2026-09-17 at 08:47 Image: © Kyrgyzstan plans to establish a logistics centre near its border with China, although few details remain available about the USD 100 million project. The country’s National Investment Agency and local company Textile Trans signed a memorandum on establishing the Sary-Tash international transport and logistics centre last week.

HELPING CHINA'S MODAL SHIFT Published on 2026-09-16 at 14:08 Executive Board Member for Rail Nicolas Lange at the signing event in Beijing. Image: © German rail brake manufacturer Knorr-Bremse signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Railway “to develop next-generation technologies”. The aim is to help Beijing put more freight on rail by focussing “on digital solutions, driver assistance systems and advanced braking technologies”.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €630 million financing agreement for the upgrade of the Brașov–Sighișoara railway in Romania. The €2.25-billion project is intended to remove a major bottleneck on two TEN-T corridors and boost capacity for freight traffic across central Romania.

'unsustainable project' Published on 2026-09-16 at 11:48 Image: Shutterstock © A major project to drive a modal shift to rail, with the creation of a combined freight transport terminal at Trélazé, in western France, has been abandoned following a decision by the local authority. At a meeting earlier this week, the leader of the Angers Loire Metropolitan Council, Christophe Béchu, described the project as “unsustainable.” Subscribe to gain access to all news Already have a subscription? Log in.

boosting inland freight Published on 2026-09-16 at 11:26 Catalonia's government estimates the new network could lift rail’s share of inland freight from 4% to around 21%. Image: Natan Rubio © Shutterstock Catalonia has approved a strategy to develop four strategic rail freight terminals, with €127 million of investment planned in a first phase running to 2031.

Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has joined the group of companies choosing to use rail freight while the water levels on the Rhine continue to hamper barge transport. The company will implement a new connection between Rotterdam and Germersheim, near Mannheim, starting this weekend. The first train will leave Germersheim on Friday 18 September and reach Europe’s largest port the following day.

Train simulator Published on 2026-09-16 at 10:22 Heather Mackenzie, rail planning manager, trying out the new training suite. Image: © UK operator Direct Rail Services (DRS) unveiled a suite of what the company calls “state-of-the-art” driver training simulators. The equipment, funded by Network Rail, has been installed at the Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) rail division’s Carlisle base in the northwest corner of England. Subscribe to gain access to all news Already have a subscription? Log in.

Mercitalia Shunting & Logistics, part of the Italian state-owned FS Logistix, purchased eight EUROLIGHT Dual locomotives from Stadler. The Bo’Bo’ hybrid units will be able to travel on both electrified and non-electrified routes and will be equipped with ETCS B3R2. As the name suggests, the locomotives are slightly lighter, with an axle load of 20 tonnes compared to the standard 22.5. This will allow them to run on the Category C lines, which cannot handle the heaviest freight trains.