EU | UK news digest. 2 July
Despite the hardships, the rail industry is pacing up for further growth. Connecting the dots among the hubs, the companies facilitate collaboration.
Tables have turned — hauliers are claiming they are being pressured into unfavorable conditions by carriers and ports due to the lack of any other alternatives. They state that shipping lines are now big conglomerates, which have removed the negotiating position entirely, understanding their superior position in the current context. At least the complaints regarding delays have brought some results, with several hauliers telling wait times were slowly but gradually declining.
DP World is on the roll of transforming into a multimodal operator of the industry by acquiring a new supply chain solutions provider aiming to add compelling value to cargo owners across a wider market.
Whatever ocean freight development is planned, now it is becoming even more difficult to facilitate since the pandemic is migrating to other regions with the spread of the new Delta variant. Bangladesh will begin it’s shutdown, however, the activities at the seaports will remain open. Despite this, there are still concerns since the sanitary measures are strict and challenging to follow — currently vessels are facing berthing delays and further ones at transhipment ports.
The pressure is adding up, hence, recalling the famous song, it is the high time to sing...Rail must go on! A first test train from Railport Brabant in Tilburg travelled to the rail terminal Rzepin in Poland. It is the first phase of a broader project for a joint corridor between Rotterdam and Poland with a sustainable incline. TX Logistic upgrades its intermodal service between Kaldenkirchen in Germany and Malmö in Sweden. The company can run its intermodal trains again through Denmark and the Great Belt Bridge thanks to the Danish authorities lifting the ban on pocket wagons on semi-trailers. Another three departures will upgrade the rail freight shuttle between the Botlek terminal in the port of Rotterdam and the Italian Melzo. The latter is strategically important with many connections linked to Central and Southern Italy.
Although in nature there is no bad weather, when it comes to transportations this statement can be easily contradicted. Heavy rainfall and flooding in southern Germany are causing problems with rail freight transport. The disturbance occurred after a motorway bridge had collapsed. Consequently, freight trains stopped on the tracks in some routes, while others could not move from their departure terminals.
Another scourge of our times, the EU sanctions imposed on Belarus, have caused the Lithuanian Railways approximately a 24 million yearly revenue loss. It concerns the railway activities of LTG Cargo and LTG Infra that will see a reduction of 20 per cent in the transport of Belarusian fertilisers. Although sanctions will not be felt directly as they will apply to new contracts and not existing ones, if new Belarusian cargo stops running on Lithuanian infrastructure, the revenue losses will mainly impact infrastructure maintenance and development projects.
The Port Authority of Valencia sees rail as basic and fundamental because for years it has been building a port of reference in the Mediterranean based on intermodality. Hence, it will invest $ 284.7 million in railway upgrades to improve the flow of trade at Valenciaport and the Port of Sagunto.
Swissterminal celebrates the start of operations in France as it takes over the operation of three inland ports in the Alsace region that will be run through Alsaceterminal SAS, a wholly owned subsidiary.
