RailFreight.com’s Post

Today a delegation of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure visited the EU Agency for Railways. The experts listened to presentations and discussed with ERA staff about railway #safety and #interoperability. This study visit was organized in the context of the ATLAS Project and with support of #IPA funds. Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Republic of Turkey #cooperation #international #transport #rail

The growing #demand for adequate #rail #transport outpaces the speed of the Holding Bulgarian State Railways Inc.The state railway is currently at one of its lowest points in recent years. Besides the lackluster political (dis)interest and funds from the EU, there is little else driving the development of the rail system in the country. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d9QME4gC

“From the #Baltic and #BarentsSeas to the #PersianGulf and the #IndianOcean”. That’s how rail connectivity should work along the International North-South Transport Corridor (#INSTC), according to #Russian President #VladimirPutin. The head of #Russia shared some interesting views and plans during the National Railway Workers’ Day that could see different but equally significant transport projects intertwining. #railfreight #railfreightnews #railcargonews

another (perhaps cynical)(sorry) way to look at this: China has invested €30bn (and lots of CO2-rich materials) to transport almost 280.000 tons of coal, every day, to burn in its powerplants. And in our Western world we plan to counter this environmental effect by collecting all the bottle-caps?

Gain valuable insights into the African rail sector with Patrick Moodley, CEO of Siemens Mobility South Africa. In this interview, Patrick discusses the strides made in Gauteng's signalling project, tackling rail theft and vandalism, and the importance of new technologies for maintenance and efficiency. Explore Siemens Mobility's role in driving rail development and economic growth across Africa. 🎬 https://lnkd.in/eKRmNkWz [Article] Siemens Mobility's Swift Delivery and Robust Solutions for the Saulsville-Pretoria West Corridor - https://lnkd.in/eX7aJ2Wk [Article] Siemens Mobility: A Long-Standing Partner Dedicated to Advancing South Africa’s Passenger Rail Services - https://lnkd.in/d-32xGTP #RailSector #RailwaysAfrica #Railway #Africa #Rail #PRASA #SiemensMobility #RailwayInnovation #InfrastructureDevelopment #EconomicGrowth #Transport #RailwayChallenges #RailwayOpportunities #AfricanRailways

#Ethiopia Finalizes Rail Reform Plan to Boost Private Sector Involvement The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport has completed a comprehensive rail reform proposal as part of a broader economic initiative supported by the International Monetary Fund. The plan, which includes an estimated $2.6 billion in investments, aims to liberalize the country’s rail sector by introducing private operators alongside the state-owned Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) A new Railways Regulatory Authority will be established to oversee licensing and competition, facilitating private sector participation in areas such as freight services, network expansion, and user services. The reform also seeks to address the current low productivity of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti rail line, which has been hindered by a lack of maintenance resources and foreign currency shortages. Ongoing construction projects, including lines connecting Weldiya to Mekele and Awash to Weldiya, have been delayed due to regional conflict. Feasibility studies for additional rail connections to Somaliland are also underway. The government’s goal is to complete the legal framework for logistics sector liberalization by 2026, hoping to improve ERC’s financial performance, which saw losses of 9.7 billion birr in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Read more https://lnkd.in/eenfWQP3

❕Shared my thoughts in the blog for the Center for Transport Strategies about why Ukraine should accelerate its efforts forward the Eurointegration in the Transport Sector and which areas need the most attention 👇 https://lnkd.in/dfqTPzHm

🚆 €2.5 Billion Allocated to Modernise European Transport Infrastructure 🌍 The European Union has earmarked €2.5 billion to modernise and expand transport infrastructure across Europe, Ukraine, and Moldova through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). This funding will support projects aimed at creating a more sustainable, smart, and resilient transport network by 2050. Key areas of investment include: Rail, road, and waterway improvements Multimodal cargo terminals Passenger hubs and intelligent transport systems Safe and sustainable mobility solutions 🛤️ Applications open until January 21, 2025, with selected projects supporting the EU’s Green Deal and Smart Mobility Strategy. #TransportInfrastructure #CEF #Sustainability #TEN_T #GreenDeal #Logistics #EuropeanUnion

efficient transport infrastructure boosted the UK economy in the 18th,19th and early 20th century, the US in late 19th and 20th century... and the Chinese economic power in the 21st century. Meanwhile, back in Europe, upgrading/expanding critical infrastructure is put on hold for all sorts of considerations. Looking at the long game: what will this mean for the economic balance in some 20 years? We can all see it coming.

Political expectations versus financial realities: rail guage differences, many costly tunnels and bridges, disagreements on routing… Major challenges face this and other rail projects in the region, despite connectivity benefits.