Voice of Commonwealth

World rail freight news round-up

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As part of the Ferrocarril Central programme, Bemo Rail has installed a traverser at the UPM pulp terminal at Montevideo docks. TEYMA Uruguay is laying tracks at the site.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore has called for expressions of interest from Western Australian manufacturers in the production of 100 wagons for its Pilbara mining operations. It plans to purchase an initial 50, with an ongoing commitment of 10 a year for five years, supporting the vision of the state government’s iron ore railcar action group which was formed to develop local manufacturing capabilities. ‘We’re pleased to offer this opportunity to local businesses to support local jobs and the Western Australian economy’, said RTIO CEO Simon Trott. ‘As the local manufacturing industry grows, we will continue to look at ways to engage local businesses to be part of our supply chain.’

To help unclog pandemic-related bottlenecks across the transport supply chain, Norfolk Southern is piloting a Dual Mission Reward incentive programme for shippers at the Landers Intermodal Facility in Chicago and the Kansas City Intermodal Facility. Road transport companies can earn a $200 incentive every time a drayage driver brings in and departs with a container, completing a ’dual mission’.

On December 8 ČD Cargo announced it had signed a contract with Siemens Mobility for the purchase of two Vectron AC 6·4 MW electric locos with a 180 kW diesel power module for last mile operation. The new locos, the first of this type in the Czech Republic, will be based at České Budějovice and will operate under both 25 kV and 15 kV AC and be certified with the DE/AT/CZ/SK/HU country package. The contract includes full maintenance for four years. Delivery is due in spring 2023.

Lynas Rare Earths has awarded Aurizon a further five-year contract to move rare earth concentrate from Mount Weld to Aurizon’s rail loading facility and container terminal at Leonora, and then by rail to Fremantle port.

First Row Shipping is to introduce a second weekly container train between the port of Göteborg and Piteå, saying the service introduced in April ‘has attracted a great deal of interest in industrial circles and it has in effect sold itself’. A third train is planned. Meanwhile, the last single-track section of the line to the port is to be doubled in 2023.

Nurminen Logistics, NTEX and Stena Rederi have signed a letter of intent to increase their current co-operation and offer container block trains from China and Asia to Sweden and Norway plus return services. These will utilise Nurminen’s Nordic HUB concept in the ports of Helsinki and Kotka during the first quarter, and offer FCL and LCL services based on connections from Finland to Scandinavia and northern Europe. Additional markets such as the Baltic States and rail connections via Kaliningrad are also to be explored.

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