Freight Tracks issue #13

FREIGHT TRACKS

AUGUST 1 2022

#13

Class 93 locomotive project

BNSF opens Tacoma facility

FUN, FUN: DRS OPEN DAY

LARGEST LOCO MODERNISATION DEAL IN RAILROAD HISTORY!

Rail Baltica: onwards to Latvia

CONTENTS AUG 1 2022 HEADLINE NEWS

NEWS REVIEW

A LOOK BACK

4 27 30

Keep the Date Railway industry events

#13

52

Cover photo: GB Railfreight (GBRf) has commenced a new service to move aggregates from Shap Summit Quarry to Battleship Wharf in North Blyth, in the North East of England.

Publisher & Editor: James Graham

If you have any stunning photos of freight trains you might like to see on the cover, send them to freighttracks@gmail.com

Sales Manager: Martin Kingswell Sales Executive: Peter Dolan

editor@freight-tracks.com

Editorial support: Kim Smith Designer: Alex Brown freighttracks@gmail.com

Webmaster: Natasha Antony Contributors: Neil Madden, Chris Lewis, Stuart Flitton, Johnathan Webb. Will Huskisson

All rights reserved, No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Multiple copying of the contents of the magazine without prior written consent is forbidden.

Material sent to the editor, whether commissioned or freely submitted, is provided at the contributor’s own risk. Freight Tracks cannot be held responsible for loss of damage however cause. The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Freight Tracks are not necessarily those of the editor or Freight Tracks. We are unable to guarantee the bona ideas of any advertisers.

Copyright: 1435 Media London 2022 1435 Media London 259 Sydenham Road Croydon CR0 2ET United Kingdom

Press releases: editor@freight-tracks.com www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 3

headline news

UP AND WABTEC SIGN MODERNISATION DEAL

4 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

headline news

LARGEST LOCOMOTIVE L IN RAILWAY HISTORY U nion Pacific has signed a historic deal with Wabtec Corporation for 600 locomotive modernisations featuring a suite of digital solutions and innovations.

The agreement, worth more than $1 billion, is the largest investment in modernised locomotives in rail industry history, and part of Union Pacific’s fleet strategy to move more freight efficiently and sustainably across its service territory.

“Union Pacific is taking thoughtful, deliberate steps to reduce our environmental impact and to help our partners improve theirs,” said Lance Fritz, Chairman, President and CEO of Union Pacific.

“Wabtec’s modernsation programME helps make our existing fleet more fuel efficient, capable and reliable. The resulting increased tractive power enables us to move more freight with fewer locomotives, which improves efficiency and reduces emissions.”

Union Pacific’s modernisation initiative comes as the industry looks to n sustainably meet the growing demands on the rail network by maximising and extending the capabilities of locomotive fleets.

It also helps place Union Pacific on a path to achieve its aggressive emissions target to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, and on a n path to net zero emissions by 2050.

The modernisations also support UP customers’ efforts to meet their own carbon reduction targets.

“Modernisations are a game changer for our customers offering the ability to realise significantly more value out of existing locomotive assets,” said Rafael n Santana, President and CEO of Wabtec.

“By customising these solutions for our customers and installing state-ofthe-art technology, we are helping our customers realise outcomes including increased tractive effort, fuel efficiency,

reliability, and adhesion, which reduce maintenance, repair and overhaul expenses. These fleet benefits will support Union Pacific’s sustainable service improvements and long-term growth strategy.”

Next-generation controls technology

The modernisations will provide approximately 350 tonnes of carbon reduction per locomotive per year. The total order will enable Union Pacific to realise approximately 210,000 tonnes in annual emission reductions. The reductions are the equivalent of removing emissions from nearly 45,000 cars per year.

The modernisations also support the circular economy with more than half the locomotive’s weight being reused. Throughout the order, approximately 70,000 tonnes of steel will be reused and recycled – the equivalent of more than 51,000 cars.

Wabtec will modernise 525 of Union Pacific’s AC4400 and AC6000 locomotives, as well as 75 Dash-9 locomotives.

The modernised locomotives will feature a suite of digital solutions and innovations such as the FDL Advantage engine upgrade and Modular Control Architecture, a next-generation controls technology that is applicable throughout Wabtec’s locomotive installed base.

The modernisations will extend the locomotives' life and provide benefits, including a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 18%; more than 80% increase in reliability; and haulage ability increase of more than 55%.

This deal is the third major modernisation order from Union Pacific since 2018, with more than 1,030 locomotives upon completion in 2025. Wabtec will modernise the locomotives at its plants in the United States.

The deliveries are expected to begin in 2023.

Fuel-efficient upgrades will cut 350 tonnes of carbon per locomotive annually

Modernisation programme will recycle 70,000 tonnes of steel – equivalent to 51,000 cars

Investment puts UP on path to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 5

headline news

Class 93 locomotive projec

S

tadler has started production of the Class 93 locomotive fleet for Rail Operations UK and finished the first carbody. Assembly of all the components and sub-systems will soon begin. After a period of testing and approvals, the first locomotive is scheduled to be transferred to the UK in March 2023. Entry into service is set to

6 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

take place a few months later. The Class 93 is Stadler’s first ever tri-mode locomotive, demonstrating the company’s commitment to green technology and reducing carbon emissions. It is also the first tri-mode locomotive to operate in the UK. The first carbody for the Class 93 is now ready, paving the way to the assembly stage,

which involves the ins bling, traction systems Able to operate using mode, as well as with the first tri-mode locom ever designed and man to operate in the UK. C be undertaken next yea

headline news

ct completes first carbody

stallation of piping, caand other equipment. g electricity, in battery diesel, the Class 93 is motive that Stadler has nufactured and the first Commissioning is set to ar.

for Rail Operations (UK) are being made at Stadler’s Valencia plant.

Three different power sources

British company, Rail Operations UK and Stadler signed a framework agreement in 2021 for 30 Class 93 tri-mode locomotives, ordering an initial batch of ten. Class 93 is a ‘Bo-Bo’ mixed-traffic locomotive based on Stadler’s Class 68 and Class 88 locomotives, which have been operating successfully in the UK for several years. All locomotives on order

The locomotives will have three different power sources, and in electric mode, can run on 25kV AC overhead lines with a power up to 4,600 kW. They feature a Stage V 900 kW-engine and two Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) traction battery packs, allowing them to operate on non-electrified lines. The battery packs provide 400 kW extra power to supplement the engine when the locomotives are running in diesel/battery hybrid mode. The batteries modules can also work alone, enabling carbon-free operations.

The advanced locomotives will significantly reduce exhaust gas emissions for both rail freight and potential passenger transport services, supporting net zero targets in the UK. They also include efficiency features to minimise energy consumption.

The high-efficiency transformer and the AC traction system with IGBT technology, one inverter per axle, enable better adhesion control, reduce energy consumption and increase reliability. Kinetic energy is recuperated during braking. The Class 93 is capable of reaching a higher speed than the Class 68s and Class 88s - 110mph in comparison with 100mph.

Future-proofed, its innovative hybrid coupler enables coupling via a draw hook and through automatic coupling.

Iñigo Parra, CEO of Stadler Valencia, commented: “This is a project of firsts: the Class 93 is not only the first tri-mode locomotive to run in the UK, but it’s Stadler’s first tri-mode locomotive. We are delighted to see these locomotives take shape and look forward to continued working with our customer and partner, Rail Operations UK.” Karl Watts from Rail Operations UK commented: “We’ve been working with Stadler for four years now to specify and design a locomotive for the future.”

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 7

headline news

BNSF opens Tacoma dome in collaboration with NWSA UNITED STATES The BNSF Railway Company has partnered with the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to develop a new rail hub at the Port of Tacoma to meet increased intermodal demand in the greater Seattle region and unlock capacity.

The new Tacoma South facility is part of a joint effort announced in March 2022 between J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc and BNSF to substantially improve capacity in the intermod-

8 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

al marketplace.

The new domestic intermodal facility will accommodate more than 50,000 annual container lifts. The Tacoma South facility will complement BNSF’s current domestic intermodal facility in Tukwila, serving NWSA’s Seattle Harbor.

“Growing the NWSA’s domestic intermodal volumes has long been a goal for the Seattle and Tacoma gateway,” stated Don Meyer,

headline news

estic intermodal facility A NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commissioner President.

“The facility will increase job opportunities while reducing truck emissions associated with moving cargo to inland markets.”

In mid August 2022, BNSF will launch a direct container-only joint service with J.B. Hunt between its Tacoma South facility and Chicago.

The new service will provide greater network and facility efficiency for BNSF while increasing

container capacity and chassis availability for J. B. Hunt. “The new Tacoma South facility builds upon our joint initiative with J.B. Hunt to substantially improve capacity in the intermodal marketplace while also meeting the expanding needs of our customers,” said Tom Williams, BNSF Group Vice President, Consumer Products.

“Our collaboration with the NWSA will help support greater warehousing and distribution needs in the fast-growing greater Seattle area.”

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 9

DRS OPEN DAY A H headline news

UNITED KINGDOM The Direct Rail Services’ (DRS) open day last month saw over 3,500 people gather for a family fun day, while raising thousands of pounds for deserving causes.

Back after a long absence due to the pandemic, Nuclear Transport Solutions’ (NTS) rail division, DRS, once again opened their gates to families and enthusiasts from across the country at their open day in Crewe in the North of England.

This year’s event took place on Saturday July 16 at DRS’s Gresty Bridge rail depot. With gates not opening until 10am, a queue began to form from 08:00 as fans, eager to get access to their favourite locomotives, waited patiently outside.

The day saw around 3,500 people attend and raised over £39,000 for our sponsorship and donations fund, an absolutely outstanding figure which will go a long way to help deserving causes across the UK. There was plenty to keep the whole family entertained with the opportunity to sit in a real locomotive cab, get up close to working engines, witness a heritage locomotive start, nameplate auction, kids’ face painting and much more.

Locomotive naming

There were also two very important locomotive namings at the event. The first saw “Max Joule” unveiled on Class 66 locomotive 66422, a tribute to one of DRS’s founders and its Managing Director until his tragic death in 1999.

The nameplate was unveiled by NTS Chair Wanda Goldwag, DRS Rail Director and NTS Deputy CEO Chris Connelly, and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority CEO David Peattie, who all paid tribute to Max’s lasting legacy and to honour the man who laid the foundations of the company we see today.

The second naming was very emotional for all involved as “Driver Paul Scrivens” was unveiled on locomotive 66424. Paul had been a driver at DRS for over 20 years, he was well known and well liked by all who knew him until his very sad death last year.

His colleague and friend Tim Howlett gave a personal account of Paul before Paul’s sister

10 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freight-

Emma revealed the new plate, which will see his name continue on the railways he loved so much. It was an emotional moment but a fitting tribute to one of the railway’s finest drivers and friend to all.

Wanda Goldwag, NTS Chair, said: “It’s the first time I’ve been to such an event and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic.

"The atmosphere was filled with excitement and it was just marvellous to see so many budding young Train Drivers and Engineers fascinated by all the engines and equipment on display.

“The fact it is all done for deserving causes makes it even more worthwhile and I’m looking forward to seeing all the great work this money can do for the communities in which we operate.

“It was a huge honour to be involved with both locomotive namings and I’ll be looking out for the engines running across our rail network for years to come.

“I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who came along and all of our staff volunteers for making the event such a special day.”

HUGE SUCCESS

headline news

Sparky the cat volunteers at the event

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 11

headline news

Rail Baltica: onw

C

onstruction of the Rail Baltica railway bridge over the Neris River is about to gain momentum. An opening ceremony last month near the shores of the Neris River in Jonava district, saw construction of the bridge being launched. To protect the Natura 2000 site, a complex engineering structure will not have a single support in the water and will be the longest railway bridge in the Baltic States. The bridge over the Neris River which is very important for the construction of the railway line to Latvia is planned to be built in 30 months.

The symbolic construction opening event, organized near Jonava, was attended by high level of representatives, including the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė,

12 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Marius Vaščega, Head of the European Commission Representation in Lithuania, Minister of Transport and Communications Marius Skuodis, CEO of LTG Infra Karolis Sankovski, CEO and Chairman of the Board of RB Rail AS Agnis Driksna as well as representatives from other institutions and organisations implementing the Rail Baltica project, partners and guests.

“Today we announced start of construction of the exclusive landmark on the Rail Baltica railway section from Kaunas to the Latvian border.

"Our priority task – to build the main Rail Baltica line from Kaunas to Panevėžys by the end of 2024 and to the Latvian border by 2026 – is moving to the stage of active construc-

headline news

wards to Latvia tion works. In today’s geopolitical context, the integration of the railway network of Lithuania and all the Baltic States with the Western transport network is a strategic priority of the utmost importance, which must be implemented as soon as possible,” said Marius Skuodis, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Lithuania, at the official event of the start of construction of the bridge over the Neris River.

Karolis Sankovski, CEO of LTG Infra, the company responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Lithuania, noted that the railway bridge over the Neris River near Jonava is amongst the largest technical and engineering challenges in Rail Baltica.

The length will be up to 1.51 km with an height of about 40 metres above the Neris river and its valley.

A double-track railway line of European track gauge standard will be built over the bridge, which is almost 14 metres wide.

“To build an entirely new Rail Baltica section between Kaunas and the Lithuanian – Latvian border is quite a challenge, as this is also the first completely new railway section to be built in independent Lithuania.

"The railway bridge over the Neris river is complex and strategically important infrastructure for the construction of the railway between Kaunas and Riga,” said Sankovski.

Environmental protection

The Italian company “Rizzani de Eccher” that won the tender for the construction of the bridge will also have to take care of all the infrastructure of the bridge as well as the nearby infrastructure.

The drainage system, electricity, telecommunications, water supply

networks will be reconstructed, the nearby district road will be repaired by building an intersection leg, as well as the landscape will be managed.

Considering the closeness of the bridge to the nearby city, sound barrier walls and other noise-mitigating solutions will be installed.

As the bridge will cross the Natura 2000 site of the European ecological network, particular attention is paid to environmental protection.

In order to avoid any impact on the biodiversity of Neris, work in the protection zone of the river Neris will not be carried out during fish migration and spawning.

When designing the bridge, invasive solutions in the riverbed were abandoned — bridge supports will not be built in water, so a distance of as much as 150 metres will be maintained above the river between the supports, therefore, fish will be able to migrate freely, and water vegetation will be able to grow.

The Italian company Rizzani de Eccher, which will build the railway bridge over the Neris River, has implemented complex infrastructure projects in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey and various countries of Central America, Asia and Africa.

The contract value is €64 million excluding VAT. The Rail Baltica project is financed by the participating countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – and up to 85% of total eligible costs are covered by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

The estimated duration of the Neris bridge works is 30 months.

Technical maintenance services for the construction of the Rail Baltica railway bridge over Neris near Jonava will be provided by Viamatika. .

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 13

headline news

VTG awards long-t contract to Mandy

L-R: Mark Hedley, Managing Director of Mandy Rail, VTG UK Engineering Director Nigel Day and Mandy Rail Hird celebrate the contract

14 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

headline news

term maintenance Rail B

ritain’s largest wagon leasing company, VTG Rail UK, has contracted Mandy Rail to maintain its 50 strong IIA hopper wagon fleet running out of the Port of Tyne.

Based in the North East of England, Mandy Rail has enjoyed considerable growth since being established by Mark Hedley and Andy Hird in 2019 and now employs 18 staff responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of freight wagons. This is the company’s first long term contract for ongoing maintenance of a specific fleet.

Ian Shaw, sales and marketing director of VTG Rail UK, said: “We are delighted to team up with Mandy Rail and to support the great success this company is achieving at such a young age. We have been very impressed by their commitment, enthusiasm and expertise in all the work they have done for us which led us to signing this long-term contract. Ensuring high quality maintenance of our fleet is paramount and Mandy Rail is stepping up to the mark.”

Andy Hird, managing director of Mandy Rail, said: “When we started our company, I knew that one day we would be sitting in the VTG offices, getting our photo taken signing a contract with them and that vision has come true. We keep pinching ourselves that this has happened less than three years since we began our business.”

Co-founder and managing director Mark Hedley added: “We were absolutely over the moon to get the contract. It’s testament to all the hard work we put into our business to provide the highest quality in maintaining freight wagons to keep the railway safe.”

VTG Rail UK Ltd is the UK's largest private wagon hire company with a fleet of over 4,000 wagons and is part of the VTG Group.

Covered hopper wagons

VTG Rail UK can offer 4-axle covered hopper wagons for the transportation of biomass, china clay, lime, potash, special sands etcetera. Wagons in mild steel 80, 90 and 102 tonne GLW are available says the company.

Built in several batches by IRS, Romania and WH Davis, UK, between 2007 and 2011, almost 400 of these high capacity wagons were delivered for service on coal trains across the network.

l Managing Director Andy

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 15

headline news

news review

The Art of Railway Publishing

www.chimewhistle.com info@chimewhistle.com

headline news

UP debuts new loco paint scheme

B

e on the lookout: A handful of Union Pacific locomotives are now sporting a fresh paint scheme shifting some key design elements, including moving the American flag closer to the front.

"The flag is now in a better position to keep clean and be protected from heat," said Shane Keller, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Mechanical.

"Although we work diligently to maintain the flag on each locomotive, its previous location made it a challenge."

Although the Union Pacific shield remains on the nose, the wings previously surrounding it were removed to let the shield proudly take center stage.

Jenks locomotive shop

The new design concept was created by employees at the railroad’s Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas. As locomotives need new paint, they will receive this treatment as part of Union Pacific’s locomotive overhaul and modernsation programme.

"The flag and shield are visible reminders we are one of the oldest and largest transportation companies in the nation," Keller said. "The flag honours our history and our mission of Building America; the shield symbolises strength."

Keep your eyes on the rails – Union Pacific employees and rail fans are encouraged to tag @UnionPacific on social media if you see one of these freshly painted locomotives in service.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 17

headline news

North Lanarkshire's

M

ossend International Railfreight Park (MIRP) and North Lanarkshire Council have joined forces, alongside other private and public partners, to deliver their Clyde Green Freeport bid for the Glasgow region to become one of Scotland’s two green freeports.

The ambitious proosal is forecast to create up to 30,000 new jobs, attract £2.5 billion of capital investment and transform nearly 600 hectares of vacant and derelict land in key locations across the Glasgow region. This would result in significant amounts of new jobs and benefits to local businesses in North Lanarkshire.

North Lanarkshire Council Leader Jordan Linden said: “Clyde Green Freeport would deliver a multi-billion pound investment for the Glasgow City Region economy, bringing significant high quality jobs to North Lanarkshire as well as opportunities for businesses here to grow their markets across the UK and beyond.

“I would ask businesses in North Lanarkshire to look at the opportunities for global trade that Clyde Green Freeport would bring to the area and to your own enterprise, large or small, and back our bid to help make it a reality.”

MIRP is home to a major decarbonising rail freight hub and terminal and Clyde Green Freeport would see the regeneration of 283 hectares of land through £17 million of investment unlocked by tax benefits and, in the longer term, £300 million to develop the site and create the infrastructure needed.

Andrew Stirling, Director of Peter D Stirling and Mossend International Railfreight Park believes green freeport status would provide the Lanarkshire region with a much-needed boost.

“Over the 40 plus years we’ve been at Mossend, we’ve employed locals and worked with local partners and clients to build and expand our infrastructure and to provide freight logistics services between Scotland and England.

“In the success of our bid, over 500 jobs will be created at Mossend and business generated that will give our local economy the boost it needs, particularly coming out of the pandemic and moving forward in leaving the EU.”

18 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Clyde Green Freeport would also create an opportunity at Mossend for a manufacturing heavy vehicles hub, leading to 120 million pounds

of investment, as well as and maintenance and op tive freight wagons, with

headline news

green freeport bid

s for the manufacturing, peration of new innovah an estimated 55 million

L-R: North Lanarkshire Council Leader Jordan Linden, MIRP Director Andrew Stirling, and MIRP Managing Director David Stirling

pounds of investment. The outcome of the formal bid, which was submitted to the Scottish and UK governments in collaboration with partners

at Glasgow Airport, Peel Ports – Clydeport and Glasgow City Region councils, is expected to be known later in the summer.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 19

headline news

OPERAIL: SHARP DECLINE IN FREIGHT VOLUMES

T

he international transport and logistics company Operail, which has lost over half of its freight volumes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reported a loss of €1.6 million in the first half of the year. In the previous year, the company earned a profit of € 2.6 million during the same period.

According to the unaudited consolidated interim report for the first half of 2022, Operail’s operating income declined from € 7 million to 30 € illion compared to the same period last year.

According to Chairman of the Operail Management Board, Raul Toomsalu, the situation is difficult, but every effort is being made to rectify the situation. “In the first half of the year, the Group’s freight volume in Estonia and Finland combined was 4 million tons, which is 43% less compared to the same period last year. Essentially, this is due to the disruption of the transit trade of Russian fertilisers and Belarusian oil products caused by sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. At the same time, we are glad to see that multimodal transport volume in TEU was 43% higher compared to the same period last year.

We are now working towards finding a replacement to the sanctioned volumes and increasing the efficiency of our activities,” said Toomsalu.

Operail’s wagon rental business area has helped the company to cope better with the complicated situation.

The Group’s income from wagon rental activities has been 2% higher compared to the same period in the previous year. The company is working towards keeping the wagons away from high-risk regions.

Toomsalu confirmed that Operail does not have any direct or indirect Russian or Belarusian clients, and all wagons have been rented to European companies. The largest number of wagons, approximately 30 per cent, have been rented by Estonian clients. This is followed by Lithuanian clients with almost 30%, Ukrainian clients with 20 per cent, and German clients with about 15 per cent.

In addition to Estonia, Operail wagons also operate in Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and China. Due to geographical reasons, some wagons are temporarily located in Russia, as wagons are used to transport goods internationally from one country to another.

20 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

As for the near future, further sanctions that will be imposed on freight transport volumes in the second half of the year will have an even greater impact, and the year will likely end with a loss. “We will certainly be able to partially resume freight volumes and operate more efficiently, and in cooperation with our Ukrainian colleagues, the Baltic countries and Poland, we are looking for ways to contribute to exporting grain from Ukraine,“ Toomsalu says, highlighting options that could be realised in the second half of the year.

Operail is an Estonian state-owned railway company whose main lines of business are freight transport, locomotive and wagon repair and construction, and rolling stock rental. The company employs 500 people. In addition to the parent company (AS Operail), the Operail Group also includes the rolling stock maintenance and repair company Operail Repairs OÜ, the wagon rental companies AS Operail Leasing and Operail Leasing Finland Oy, and the Finnish railway transport company Operail Finland Oy.

headline news

Signal passed at danger causes collision between UK freight trains UNITED KINGDOM An official investigation into a signal passed at danger and subsequent collision between two freight trains near to Loversall Carr junction, Doncaster, July 5 2022.

At around 06:23 hrs on Tuesday July 5, train reporting number 4E11, a freight service operated by GB Railfreight, collided with the rear of a stationary freight train. The collision took place to the south of Doncaster on the Down Slow/Up West Slow line, between Loversall Carr and Flyover West junctions.

Immediately before the accident, train 4E11 passed signal D197 while it was showing a danger (red) aspect.

The rear of the stationary train was approximately 230 metres beyond this signal when the collision occurred.

Train 4E11 was travelling from Felixstowe to Masborough and consisted of 35 container-carrying wagons and a locomotive. It collided with the rear of the stationary train at approximately 28 mph (45 kph).

No-one was hurt in the accident, although the collision derailed a number of wagons in both trains and caused significant damage to the vehicles and infrastructure involved.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investi-

gation will seek to identify the sequence of events which led to this incident. It will also consider the way in which the train was driven; any factors which may have influenced the actions of the driver of the train[ the condition of the signalling system at the time of the incident, and any underlying management factors.

Kryukov Carriage Works completes testing of new 1435 mm railcar model for European Union operations

A

ccording to GMK Center, at the beginning of 2023, the plant intends to start serial production of a flat car for 1435 mm gauge in 2023, Kryukov Carriage Works (KCW) has completed testing a new model of a flat car for the EU market. Railway Gazette International informs about it.

Now KCW is negotiating with operators and leasing companies in the EU in order to win contracts for the supply of new carriages that are designed to transport containers and swap bodies.

“Given the current situation with Russia’s invasion of the territory of our country, we are forced to actively develop and move towards the development of cooperation with companies from friendly countries,” notes Kryukov Carriage Works.

In 2021, the company began developing railcars that meet EU standards. The first carriage was the 80-foot articulated platform SGGRSS. Its characteristics: length with buffers –

26.39 m; deck height above rails – 1155 mm; tare weight – 27 tonnes; maximum payload – 108 tonnes at 100 km/h or 93 tons at 120 km/h.

Testing of two prototypes to demonstrate compliance with TSI WAG and TSI Noise standards has been completed.

The EU Railways Agency is now in the process of approval for serial production from the 1st quarter of 2023. The prototype SGGRSS 90-foot platform is expected to be ready for testing in the third quarter of 2022 and approved in 2023.

In addition, KCW is developing plans for other types of railcars to meet EU needs. The company declares that it is ready to accept orders from European customers.

As GMK Center reported earlier, according to the head of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia Olexandra Kamyshina, UZ plans to become the management company of the part shares of the Kryukov Carriage Works arrested by the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 21

headline news

Valencia: key for rail freight o A

dif has approved an investment of €22.17 million to undertake the first phase of the extension, remodelling and improvement of the Valencia-Fuente de San Luis intermodal Valencia-Fuente de San Luis intermodal terminal.

The first phase of the extension, remodelling and improvement of the terminal, part of the network of strategic intermodal nodes with which Adif seeks to fully integrate the railway into the transport chain.

The main purpose of this extension is to provide the terminal with the necessary infrastructures and services to turn it into a large freight railway logistics area in Valencia.

This will complement existing ones in the port thus boost intermodal freight traffic, creating resilient intermodal freight traffic.

The intermodal and logistics terminal of Valencia Fuente de San Luis has a strong international dimension. It is located on the Mediterranean Corridor, next to the Port of Valencia and forms part of the Trans-European Transport It is a key strategic node that favours the interconnection, interoperability and intermodality of transport services, which will enable standard gauge trains to run between Valencia and the French border.

In addition, this terminal is linked to the development of the Port of Valencia's Logistics Activities Zone (ZAL) of the Port of Valencia and Mercavalencia.

For these reasons, it requires optimal infrastructure and facilities and the possibility of offering equipment and first-rate intermodal and logistical services, allowing the handling of 750 m long trains, both Spanish conventional gauge (1,668 mm) and standard gauge (1,435 mm).

These actions are part of the agreement signed in 2019 by the Ministry of Public Works, the Generalitat de Valencia, Valencia City Council, Adif, State Ports and the Valencia Port Authority for the development of the terminal, with the objective of turning it into a strategic peninsular hub for the distribution of goods.

This agreement allows cooperation to be implemented in order to make the necessary land and financial contributions necessary for the construction of the terminal.

22 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

headline news

on the Mediterranean Corridor

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 23

news review

www.freight-tracks.com May 9 2022 n X

news review

NS increases trainee pay for conductors to $25 an hour

T

he Norfolk Southern Corporation has announced that it has increased Conductor Trainee pay to $25 per hour, with a minimum of $200 in earnings per shift. Additionally, Conductor Trainees are eligible for an on-the-job training incentive of $300 per bi-weekly pay period, provided they make themselves available to work. Applicants can apply online at Jobs.NSCorp.com.

“We are committed to ensuring our newest team members are well-compensated while they work toward qualifying as conductors,” said Brad Dodd, Director Talent Acquisition at Norfolk Southern. “Norfolk Southern is a great fit for those who want responsibility, autonomy, and take pride in the work they do. We offer competitive compensation, best-in-class healthcare benefits, technical training, and professional growth opportunities.”

Conductor trainees in priority locations have the opportunity to earn up to $5,000 in starting bonuses. Conductor trainees at the company’s other locations can earn up to $2,500 in starting bonuses. Priority locations include:

n n n n n n n n n n n n

Bellevue, Ohio Binghamton, New York Cincinnati, Ohio Conway, Pennsylvania Decatur, Illinois Elkhart, Indiana Fort Wayne, Indiana Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Louisville, Kentucky Peru, Indiana Princeton, Indiana Roanoke, Virginia

In their first year, Norfolk Southern conductors earn an

average of $67,000, and have the potential to earn more each year as they increase in levels of seniority.

They also participate in the Railroad Retirement System and have a 401(k) savings option, best-in-class healthcare coverage, all in addition to other competitive benefits.

Norfolk Southern conductors are responsible for the safe and efficient movement of freight trains.

A conductor’s job can include coupling railcars to build trains, delivering railcars to local customers, and transporting trains hundreds of miles.

No prior railroad experience is required, applicants only need to be 18 years of age, successfully complete a standard background check, and meet physical requirements.

“One of the clear benefits of our industry is the opportunity for future advancement and the potential for increased earnings,” added Dodd. “Through their seniority, conductors will be promoted to a locomotive engineer position that has guaranteed minimum annual pay of approximately $94,000, along with benefits. Many of our engineers earn more than $100,000 with the work opportunities at their locations.”

Norfolk Southern utilises a comprehensive training programme for both conductors and locomotive engineers, consisting of classroom and field training. Successful completion of these programs is a requirement for employment.

Conductor trainees should expect to complete a training programme of approximately 16 weeks before promoting to a conductor position. The first three weeks of training occur at the Norfolk Southern Training Centre in McDonough, Georgia. The remaining weeks of training take place at or near their hiring location.

The company provides all the technical training and tools conductors need to be both safe and successful on the job.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 27

news review

FRA PROPOSES RULE TO 'ENHANCE TRAIN SAFETY' UNITED STATES To enhance safety, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced a proposed rule requiring a minimum of two train crewmembers for over-the-road railroad operations, with some exceptions for certain low risk operations and circumstances where mitigating measures are in place to protect railroad employees, the public, and the environment.

“For the past few years, our rail workers have worked hard to keep people and goods moving on our nation’s railroads, despite a global pandemic and supply chain challenges,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This proposed rule will improve safety for America’s rail passengers—and rail workers—across the country.”

This proposal would also enhance safety nationwide by replacing the existing patchwork of State laws regarding crew size with a uniform national standard. Without consistent guidelines, railroads may be subjected to disparate requirements in every State in which they operate, resulting in potential safety risks, operational inefficiencies, and significant costs. The NPRM also proposes requirements for the location of crewmembers on a moving train, and would prohibit the operation of some trains with fewer than two crewmembers from transporting large amounts of certain hazardous materials. The risk assessment and annual oversight requirements in the NPRM are intended to ensure that railroads fully consider and address all relevant safety factors associated with using less than two person crews.

“We are committed to data-driven decision making,”

said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “In cases where railroads wish to operate with fewer than two crewmembers, we are proposing that they perform a rigorous, thorough, and transparent risk assessment and hazard analysis, and FRA will provide an opportunity for public comment on these submissions.”

Technological breakthroughs

Historically, major technological breakthroughs led to gradual reductions in train crew sizes, from about five in the 1960s to two by the end of the 1990s. Current industry practice is to have two-person crews consisting of a locomotive engineer and conductor. Under the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), a special approval procedure would allow railroads to petition FRA: (1) to continue legacy operations with one-person train crews; and (2) for approval to initiate a new train operation with fewer than two crewmembers. FRA would carefully evaluate each request for fewer than two crewmembers and supporting documentation submitted by a railroad, as well as the input of employees, communities, and the public.

This proposed rule is complementary to, rather than duplicative of, other recent regulatory initiatives FRA has issued or is in the process of developing. Those initiatives include railroad safety risk reduction programs and the development of fatigue risk management programs. Further, this rule is consistent with safety analysis required by other FRA regulations, including positive train control (PTC).

Children of railroaders benefit from new $1.2 million scholarship fund UNITED STATES One hundred children of Norfolk Southern Corporation employees will receive college scholarships of up to $10,000 over four years through the company’s new Thoroughbred Scholars programme. In addition, three students will receive special awards of up to $40,000 over four years. First launched this summer, the Thoroughbred Scholars programme received more than 500 applications.

“We created the Thoroughbred Scholars programme as another way to support our colleagues and

28 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

their families,” said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw. “We are putting our values into action with a programme that recognises the importance of a strong education and skill development. We’re proud of these outstanding students and look forward to the great things they will achieve in their academic pursuits.”

Ninety of the 100 scholarships were designated for children of Norfolk Southern’s front-line field employees such as conductors, engineers, mechanics and others.

news review

AAR: "FRA crew size rule misguided, will set industry back" the number of individuals physically located inside the cab of a locomotive.

“As has always been the case, railroad staffing and duty assignment decisions belong at the bargaining table.

"In fact, this issue is being negotiated right now across the industry in the current round of collective bargaining, and that process should be allowed to conclude without attempted interference in an area never before regulated.”

In revisiting the crew size issue, the FRA provides no new safety data justifying its about-face.

Instead, the FRA reverses its prior assessment of the relevance of some pre-PTC research studies and simply disregards the substantial evidence of safe one-person operations here and abroad.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) responds to the FRA proposals UNITED STATES On July 27 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) proposed rolling back the clock on train crew staffing – with no safety justification – and took steps to lock in two person crews into the future. Though the rule proports to offer a path toward single person operations, the FRA’s proposal effectively reserves to itself unfettered discretion to disapprove such proposed operations, which removes any regulatory certainty or predictability and may make it nearly impossible for carriers to move beyond the current staffing paradigm.

“Today’s proposal prioritises politics over sound, data-driven safety policy,” said AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies. “In 2019, the FRA thoroughly reconsidered a rule that was very similar to the one being put forth today and retracted it after finding a complete absence of a safety justification for that rule. We knew then, and we especially know now with the full deployment of Positive Train Control technology, that there is no plausible safety justification for regulating

Greater automation

While other Department of Transportation modal agencies are working to support greater automation and the safety benefits that accompany such technology, the FRA stands alone in its efforts to lock in yesterday’s regulatory approaches.

This regulatory approach puts freight rail at a longterm competitive disadvantage to other – less fuel efficient – modes of transportation. AAR and the freight railroads will strongly encourage the FRA to reconsider this misguided, political proposal that would stand in the way of future progress in the industry.agement programs. Further, this rule is consistent with safety analysis required by other FRA regulations, including positive train control (PTC).

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 29

headline news

A LOOK BACK

IN OUR FIRST SIX MONTHS, we have worked to bring you exclusive rail freight stories on operations and business around the globe.

Here is a selection of stories from our first 12 issues.

30 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

headline news

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 31

A LOOK BACK

We

Issue #1 FeB 14

rail freight i

Freight trains may lack the glamour associated with famous named passenger trains but there are those who simply love what they do every day when they come to work in the freight yard ...

“Romance of the rails is still there today”

Horst Zimmermann has been a train driver at Retrack, VTG Rail Logistics railway undertaking, since 2018. Before his retraining, he worked as a manager for a newspaper publisher for 20 years.

“This has been my dream job ever since I was a kid,” Zimmermann says. “I was initially afraid that I was too old for it, but then I took the entrance exam and was able to start the retraining.” Zimmermann learned about VTG at the “transport logistic” trade fair in Munich, where he got into conversation with an HR Business Partner. At the time, Retrack didn’t have its own train drivers. But the two kept in touch, and Zimmermann became Retrack’s inaugural train driver after retraining.

He is conscious of the great responsibility he bears as a train driver. “Never get sloppy or fall into a routine,” Zimmermann stresses.

“Even if it’s a hassle or you’re running late, safety always comes first.”

But he also enjoys his time travelling on the rails of Bavaria. “A certain romance of the rails is still there today – even with modern locomotives,” adds Zimmermann, who is also an avid model railroader.

“When I’m working, I’m kind of outdoors, in nature, always on the move, seeing beautiful scenery and feeling the head wind.”

Zimmermann also treasures the peace and quiet and having time for himself.

32 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Anything but boring!

I’m excited to work in rail transport because it’s a relatively new product - compared to air, sea and road transport - and it’s rapidly growing and developing. There are not many experts on the market yet, so we’ve had to work hard to gain knowledge in the sector. cargo-partner has been offering rail transport solutions across the New Silk Road for nearly a decade now. This means we’ve had the chance to shape a transport mode of the future from the very beginning, and to implement it successfully in our own organisation. Our rail transport solutions across the New Silk Road add value to our customers’ supply chains and help us optimise door-to-door lead times for FCL and LCL shipments on the east- and west-bound trade lanes.

In addition, rail transport is environment-friendly and thus contributes to discovering more sustainable transport solutions.

Finally, it’s important to note that the rail transport market is very volatile. The constant changes require a high degree of dexterity which further adds to making this job anything but boring!

Georg Dangl, Corporate Director Product Management Rail Transport, cargo-partner

Proud to have turned my hobby into my profession I have been the Secretary of the Rail Freight Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport CILT UK since 2014. Over the past twenty years I have lived in Newport, South Wales and worked in the public and private sectors as a transport consultant, adviser and planner.

A graduate of Durham University, I am proud to have turned my hobby into my profession. As a lifelong railway enthusiast, working in rail freight enables me to link my interest with projects that benefit society , the economy and the environment. This creates a profound sense of job satisfaction and social reward, enjoying opportunities to meet people, discuss current issues, propose ideas and resolve problems.

My work with Atkins included studies to convey slate waste from Blaenau Ffestiniog , the export of steel from Birdport , Newport and the viability of intermodal activity from DIRFT to Wentloog terminal, Cardiff. Prior to that I was Senior Policy Adviser to the Welsh Government and manager of the Freight Facilities Grant regime. Schemes involved bringing scrap metal by rail to sites in Newport and Cardiff, and investigating the business case for transporting slate waste along the Conwy Valley to terminals in England . I co-authored ‘Rail Freight - A guide for community groups and rail partnerships’ published

by ACORP and Atkins.

Andrew Hemmings BA(Hons) FCILT

Freight is great, really Over 250 years ago as the initial nursery steps were being taken to develop what would become the modern railroad, the pioneers saw the future in moving coal and manufactured goods.

Instead, people started jumping on the earliest trains, creating a passenger business that survives to this day.

They took over the railroad in the public’s imagination.

Pullman-style named passenger trains, the Flying Scotsman summed up trains for most.

But true enthusiasts always know that it is freight that is the bedrock of railroads.

Long before the green credentials were obvious, a freight train was key to moving the bulk of goods by land over long distances. The modern day sight of a two-milelong container train blocking cars on US road crossings is a something that still thrills me after some 50 years of trainspotting.

Freight is great, really. The variety of interesting, if workaday, wagons never fails to attract my eye.

While passenger authorities have moved to increasingly uniform rolling stock, the needs of cargo customers means there remains the need for more individual designs.

Even intermodal operations contain variety, with terminals being unique in design.

I hope that my enthusiasm translates into a successful Freight Tracks magazine.

James Graham, Founder and Editor, Freight Tracks

The Few deliver the goods and it makes my day, every day I am a driver for one of the Freight Operating Companies and I am one of those lucky individuals who, because they do what they love for a living, doesn’t feel like he or she’s working.

Daily, the view from my cab is different and entrancing. Obviously I keep to driving on regular lines in my region but I never get bored of the action as every day seems different.

Friends often ask whether I would prefer to drive passenger services to moving cargo trains. My reply often surprises them. Firstly there are fewer freight trains than passenger trains. This means we are The Few. The Few deliver the goods and it makes my day, every day.

Secondly, passenger drivers travel from terminus to terminus or just into and out of railway stations in built up areas. We will depart a freight terminal and arrive at a freight terminal. These can be locations in the middle of nowhere.

It’s a great way to earn a living - much better than working for a living!

Name and Address supplied

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 33

A LOOK BACK

Issue #2 Feb 28

Empty railcar freight – expl

By Darell Luther, CEO, Tealinc UNITED STATES When moving a private empty freight railcar (non-tank car), there are several options. If that private railcar moves off a loaded revenue move (paid, loaded move) then the return trip for the empty railcar on the exact same route (or equal distance/mileage on some railroads) is typically free of charge (non-revenue move).

It’s a cycle that works pretty well for all involved parties. It’s an advantage to the shipper as the empty railcars are returned to the loading location and ready for their next load. This also helps the railroad since it means that once the railcars are loaded, they’re ready for their next revenue move.

Unless you have a contract in place that explicitly states otherwise, when moving an empty railcar that has been sitting in storage or otherwise is not moving off a revenue move, the story looks and feels completely different since the railroad charges for this move (revenue move – empty). In fact, while it’s certainly not the intent of the railroad, empty railcar repositioning can discourage a rail shipper from acquiring (leasing, buying, etc.) and repositioning private railcars. When moving empty railcars to a new railcar lessee, new railcar user or when newly-built railcars are repositioned, the railroad will charge for this empty move. And that cost can be expensive. Generally speaking, the empty railcar transportation rate billed by the handling line (railroad) currently ranges from $3.59 per mile for longer hauls all the way up to $7.78 per mile for shorter hauls. In the mid-range length of haul the range is more in the $4.50 to $4.75 per empty mile.

This empty freight charge can be a substantial part of the onboarding cost of bringing a new or used railcar into service for lessee’s, buyers and private shippers of railcars. Years back the service of repositioning an empty freight car was free to those shippers leasing or buying railcars so long as the railcars were predominately used in future revenue moves on the originating rail line. Railroads were assured they’d get the line haul revenue and actually incentivised the shipper to supply their own railcars in lieu of the railroads supplying the railcar.

This was on top of a freight rate differential between private and railroad supplied railcars for the shippers’ business. Unfortunately, all of that incentive has gone away and the charges are significant.

A little fact checking regarding railcar supply. Beginning

34 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

years ago, and especially now with Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), railroads have made it clear that they are only willing to invest in owning and/or leasing railcars that can haul a broad base of commodities or that support a very broad transportation industry. Typically speaking, the more products a single railcar type can carry or the lower risk the commodity is, the more likely it is that the railroad will engage in buying/ leasing those railcars to support the shipper’s business. From a railroad’s perspective, it makes really good business sense.

This business requirement has really shifted the number of railcars a railroad buys/leases and offers to its customers (system supplied railcars).

In fact, about 25 years ago the railroads supplied about 60% of all railcars to their customers. Now, over 80% of all freight railcars are privately owned and controlled. As an example, one primary industry railroad invests in is railcars for the grain industry. This is an area where the utilisation of the railcars is high and can be supported without much extra effort by private industry railcars. The railroads have pooling or usage agreements that allow the interchangeability of private and railroad supplied railcars, using the private railcar bid structure to manage high railcar demand times. This allows the railroads to have a smaller fleet and a mechanism to meet peak demands while not having to invest in railroad-owned railcars for these peak shipment times.

Mad about costs

The first move of a railcar empty to a new loading location is expensive and makes no initial economic return for the new shipper of the railcar. Sometimes railcars are physically so far from where they are to be used that it’s a stretch to make the economics of buying or leasing a railcar work for a shipper. Imagine having to reposition 20 mill gondolas from the eastern US to the Rocky Mountain states or an average rail distance of 800 miles. At $4.60 per empty mile those 20 mill gondolas would cost $3,680 per railcar or $73,600 for all 20 railcars. This is before the shipper makes a single cent of return on their investment in the railcars.

Although it can be easy and understandable to do, one can’t blame the railroad for instituting charges for billing for empty revenue moves or, put differently, providing their ser-

Issue #2 feb 28

A LOOK BACK

loring a different approach

vices. After all, the railroad still incurs costs for what is would be a free empty move to the shipper.

When we acknowledge that, it is hard to blame the railroad for billing for their service where they incur expenses.

At the same time though there is an opportunity to drive more efficient loads and reduce empty railcar mileage by expanding the loading opportunities for each empty railcar. A win-win for the lessee, shipper and railroad as the number of loads would increase incrementally and the cost of transportation would remain the same on a gross basis and would go down on a per unit basis as more empty railcars were loaded.

Change Is in order

Here at Tealinc, we have sympathised with our customers for years. We’ve helped our customers identify the empty freight costs and worked creatively with many of our customers to identify ways to offset those empty freight costs.

Unfortunately, we’ve felt our customers pain directly when many determined they could not make a fair business case for rail given the excessive initial onboarding costs.

We know it’s time for a change.

As a true entrepreneurial company, we’ve been thinking for years outside of the box. We know in order to positively impact our customers business and in order to get more railcars repositioned to our customers where they need them, we’ve got to think differently. We haven’t yet changed the railroads

minds but we are thinking maybe we need to start somewhere else.

We know that companies compete in transportation costs, savings, location as much or more than the actual commodity. Tealinc has explored and continues to explore the single use trade-off for negating some or all of the empty mileage repositioning charges. The plan is to have the railcar move to a closer geographic loading place minimizing the empty miles that need to be paid for by the shipper.

This loading place may or may not be in the same industry in which the railcar is going to be used but would be compatible with the product being shipped.

The single use loaded movement would directionally support the ongoing empty movement of the railcar to the intended shippers’ location.

There are a few methods to make this work and we’re looking for a few adventurous souls involved in the bulk commodity shipment arena to test the hypothesis.

This will take some time to put together but the idea is that we’ll gather a database to house single shipment or shortterm shipment needs categorised by industry/commodity, railcar type and general geography.

If we have a railcar in California and you need that railcar in Utah short term and we have an end user in Florida needing the car, we’ll link up the entire move and work to apply true cost savings and shared resources to all parties.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 35

A LOOK BACK

Issue #2 Feb 28

From RCG apprenticeship to

By Elisabeth Fiala, social media communicator in the OBB Rail Cargo Group Choosing a profession is one thing. Being successful is the other. Nicole Plaimer, who has completed the RCG (Rail Cargo Group) apprenticeship programme to become a freight forwarding clerk, has accomplished both.

After completing her apprenticeship at RCG, she also participated in the AustrianSkills, the national championships for professions, where she came third, making her one of the three best forwarding apprentices in Austria. ÖBB talked to Nicole and got an insight into her career path and the apprenticeship training at RCG.

Nicole:

At the age of 16, I moved from Waldhausen im Strudengau, in beautiful Upper Austria, to Vienna to the ÖBB apprentice home in Kundratstraße to start my apprenticeship as a forwarding agent at RCG. This was in September 2017.

As you can imagine, it was quite an adjustment to suddenly be on your own in such a big city. However, there was always something going on with all the other apprentices in the dorm and we were often out and about together in Vienna. There was also a theater group in the apprentice dormitory, and I was part of it. In the course of this, we went to see plays in various theatres, which gave me a whole new cultural perspective on Vienna.

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship as a forwarding agent? How did you find out about it?

Nicole:

I wanted to find a profession where I could work in an office. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a suitable job in the countryside of Upper Austria so I decided to move to the city. By the way, my uncle also works for ÖBB and made me aware that RCG was looking for apprentices. I then applied online and was invited for an interview only one day later.

How is the programme structured? Did you immediately start working in the office?

Nicole: In the course of my apprenticeship as a freight 36 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

forwarding agent, I was given the opportunity to gain experience in many areas of the Rail Cargo Group and was able to get involved from the very first minute.

By means of job rotation, you rotate to a different department every six months. This way, the apprentices can gather many impressions and ultimately also decide where they want to work. That’s a very cool strategy.

At the beginning, I got an insight into the operational tasks of container transport to Hamburg at the ÖBB headquarters at Vienna Main Station. After this exciting experience, the training shifted me towards contracts and customer agreements. Here I learned how costs are calculated and how prices are set.

The next stop for me in the second year of my apprenticeship was back in the countryside, in Amstetten in Lower Austria.

There I worked as an order data processor and gained experience in single-wagon transport. That means I handled individual shipments from different customers, put them together to form a whole train and gave the orders to the shunting team on site.

After my time in Amstetten, I went back to Vienna. The rotation took me to the “Claims & Insurance Management” department, where I worked in the goods claims area.

Finally, at the beginning of the third year of my apprenticeship, I was offered a unique opportunity.

By means of an exchange project, I was allowed to gain insight into logistics at a trucking company, the international freight forwarder UnitCargo, far away from rail transport. I had a very exciting time there and gained completely new impressions, because the way of working is surprisingly quite different when it comes to a different mode of transport.

My last rotation took me to the “Production Services” department. It was interesting to deal with system mainte-

Issue #2 feb 28

A LOOK BACK

the state championships

nance of the programmes I had always worked with until then.

At the end of my third year of the apprenticeship programme, I decided to return to the “Claims & Insurance Management” department and gain a foothold in the commodity claims area. So I decided to move to Vienna for the long-term. I therefore spent my fourth year of apprenticeship as a forwarding logistics specialist in “Claims & Insurance Management,” where I was taken on and where I still work today.

But what I found to be the best experience was my participation in AustrianSkills.

The “national championships for professions” offer the chance to prove one’s knowledge and acquired experience.

Apprentices from a wide variety of trades take part there every year to show that they are the best of the best.

How were you able to show your skills there?

Nicole: The competition consisted of various tasks: a

resentation in English in which we introduced a fictitious freight forwarder to a new customer, freight calculations in trucking, air freight and sea freight. This included filling out the respective freight documents and various operational tasks such as writing a pick-up order to the carrier, talking to customers about complaints, processing complaints and clearing a shipment. The competition was very strong and competent. I also learned a lot about the other modes of transport at vocational school and this knowledge definitely stood me in good stead at AustrianSkills.

I managed to achieve third place and so I am now one of the three best forwarding apprentices in the whole of Austria, which makes me very proud!

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 37

A LOOK BACK

Issue #4 march 28

Bright idea spark for rail freight t

A

simple question that has cursed yard managers for years has been solved by the simplest of ideas. An innovative overhead electrification system can answer the simple but deadly question: how do you use a grab lift in a terminal with fixed overhead power wires.

The Decarbonisation & Electrification of Freight Terminals (DEFT) project, funded by the Department for Transport and Innovate UK, has seen project partners Furrer+Frey GB, Tarmac and GB Railfreight demonstrates a new simple method that would allow aggregate loading in yards where trains can be powered by electric locomotives. In fact, any loading that requires lifting, such as intermodal containers, that cannot be done under existing fixed wires, can now be achieved.

Promoters also suggest that a secondary benefit from the technology is the end for diesel on electrified rail routes and boost the industry’s net zero ambitions.

Freight trains are typically loaded and unloaded from above, preventing the use of the high voltage overhead cables used on mainline railways. As such, they still rely on diesel to move in and out of terminals and passengers can be held up by slower diesel freight trains on mainlines, or those waiting to be moved into a depot by a shunter.

Turning off the diesel

DEFT was staged at a rail freight terminal in Northamptonshire, in the English Midlands, Engineers from Furrer+Frey GB designed a Moveable Overhead Conductor system where overhead equipment supplying electricity to the locomotives

38 n

can safely move away once the train is in place and return when the train needs to move again.

Furrer+Frey’s innovative system is being trialled at an aggregate facility – run by one of world’s leading construction materials businesses, Tarmac – in Wellingborough, in partnership with GB Railfreight.

The facility is adjacent to the Midland Mainline, which is currently being electrified and upgraded by Network Rail as part of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan, to increase capacity for

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

passengers and freight trains.

If successful, the moveable overhead system could go on to be deployed at other freight terminals across the UK and support the full decarbonisation of Britain’s railways.

Leap forward

Noel Dolphin, Head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey GB, said: “The electrification of freight terminals is the biggest technological hurdle to net zero rail freight and we have just overcome it.

A LOOK BACK

Issue #4 march 28

ks OVERHEAD power terminals The demonstration required a diesel loco to bring the hoppers to DEFT

Chris Swan, head of rail at Tarmac, said: “Decarbonising transport has been highlighted as one of the key areas in which we can help achieve net zero across the construction industry.

“Supporting this exciting project is just the latest step in the ongoing development of our rail freight capabilities, which forms part of Tarmac’s wider commitment to reducing CO2 across the whole business.

“We’re always keen to explore new initiatives and innovations that can help us move materials to the right place at the right time more efficiently and sustainably.”

Greener alternative

The demonstrator shows how we can plug freight yards into electrified rail lines and operate them safely and efficiently with the locomotives we already have – meaning greener, cleaner and better journeys.

“This moveable conductor system means trains pull in on electricity, disconnect from it to safely load and unload, then reconnect to travel on.

“I’m proud of our team and partners for getting us to this milestone moment today showing a greener future for the industry.”

John Smith, CEO GB Railfreight, said: “Rail freight is already a greener alternative to moving goods by road but innovations like the Moveable Overhead Conductor System, and electrification more broadly, will allow us to go even further.

“At the same time as combatting climate change, they also bolster operations, and the reliability and efficiency of rail freight.

“We continue to work with the UK government to fulfil our industry’s potential and this is a great example of what can be achieved when the industry and government work together effectively.”

Seamless electrification for freight could begin to see slower, more polluting diesel trains being phased out. In 2018 the UK government challenged the rail industry to remove all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040 as part of a drive to achieving the UK’s ambitious net zero goals, as well as to help improve air quality and reduce noise pollution.

The system being trialled in Northamptonshire is based on one de-

veloped by Furrer+Frey for passenger train depots, used by Eurostar and LNER, and has been installed by SPL Powerlines.

The DEFT project is one of 30 groundbreaking initiatives that have won a share of £9 million from the Department for Transport, in partnership with Innovate UK. The competition is focused on devel-

How does it work?

A freight train arrives in the yard powered by an electric locomotive and travels under the moveable overhead system.

The pantograph is dropped. The overhead bar is then retracted to the poles. It is isolated.

The wagons can then be loaded/ unloaded safely.

After the yard activity is completed, the arm is moved back over the rail line. The power is reconnected when the bar makes contact with the running line.

The locomotive pantograph is extended and the locomotive is energised.

oping pioneering technology and exceptional ideas that can improve journeys for travellers, encourage passengers back onto the network and reduce the environmental impacts of rail as the country builds back better from Covid-19.

The DEFT concept was endorsed by members of the Rail Forum Midlands in 2020 as a viable method to decarbonise UK rail freight, leading to the successful funding bid to InnovateUK and the Department for Transport.

Tarmac is among the largest users of rail freight, transporting construction materials by rail UK-wide as part of the business’ ongoing sustainability commitments.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 39

A LOOK BACK MISSED PAST ISSUES? JUST CLICK ON THE COVER TO CATCH UP

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

A LOOK BACK

Issue #4 march 28

Lineas introduces first energy costs surcharge

EUROPEAN UNION Lineas, the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, will apply a dynamic energy surcharge to all its transports as of April 1 2022 to compensate for soaring energy prices.

While such a surcharge is common practice for other modes of transportation, Lineas is the first rail company to implement this measure and anticipates that other players in the market will follow suit.

Energy prices are currently skyrocketing, impacted by the war in Ukraine and concerns about possible supply shortages. At EEX, Europe’s leading energy market, the spot price per Megawatt hour has more than tripled compared to average prices in 2021. Also diesel, which railway undertakings need where electric locomotives cannot operate, has become significantly more expensive.

This economic hardship has reached a level that cannot be absorbed by Lineas anymore. In order to ensure a sustainable rail freight offer, the company is required to pass energy costs on to its customers.

Lars Redeligx, Chief Commercial Officer at Lineas: “Everybody sees how

energy prices are soaring when driving to the gas station. Rail companies are suffering massively, too. We cannot continue to be the only mode of transportation that doesn’t pass on the rising energy costs. This is surely true for privately owned businesses like us, but even for state-owned competitors, the solution cannot be that the taxpayer has to cover their rising energy bill. Therefore Lineas will apply a dynamic energy surcharge to be able to offer sustainable rail transport solutions.”

Lineas plans to implement the dynamic energy surcharge and is currently in contact with its customers to do so.

The surcharge is designed to absorb Lineas’ rising energy cost and takes into account hedging mechanisms that limit the company’s cost increase. It is applied on top of transport revenues and will be adapted on a monthly basis, following the development of energy prices and taking into account possible energy compensations by national authorities. It will be published on the company’s website.

The surcharge differs between domestic and international transports to account for differences in how energy is charged

to railway undertakings in different markets. At the current spot price of €300 per Megawatt hour, the surcharge will range between 3,5% (Netherlands) and 8,1% (Germany).

First dynamic energy surcharge

Energy surcharges are common within the transport industry, such as diesel surcharges for road transportation or the fuel surcharge in air cargo. Rail operators traditionally have catered for energy costs as part of yearly contract negotiations. With soaring energy prices, these calculations are not viable anymore for Lineas.

“The introduction of an energy surcharge is long overdue in the rail industry. We are the greenest transport mode emitting 90% less CO2 compared to road transport and use six times less energy than the truck. Yet, we are not immune to the explosion of energy costs. If we want to secure our societal mission and be able to continue serving our customers, we have to adopt an energy surcharge as is the practice in other sectors,” Redeligx concludes.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 41

A LOOK BACK

Issue #5 April 11

GBRf names locomotive

GB Railfreight (GBRf) has u locomotive named ‘Glory to special Ukrainian livery.

GBRf stands with Ukraine comotive honours the peopl they continue to courageou says the company.

42 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Issue #5 april 11

A LOOK BACK

(From left) Adam Barber, Arlington Fleet Services; Gary Woodman, Arlington Fleet Services; Bob Tiller, GB Railfreight; Jim Nickman, Arlington Fleet Services; Christian Sganca, Arlington Fleet Services

e in support of Ukraine

unveiled its latest Class 66 o Ukraine’, outshopped in a

e and this newly painted loe affected by the conflict as usly defend their homeland,

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 43

RAILROADS HAVE BEEN CARRYING FREIGHT SINCE DAY 1.

IT’S NOW DAY 71,559.

WORLD FREIGHT TRAIN DAY 2022 will celebrate the drivers, yard staff, loaders, planners and workshop staff who get the freight through.

Freight Tracks will work with railroads and Freight Operating Companies to promote the importance of the modern freight train in the global supply chain. The date marks the day the world’s first public railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway in England, opened.

That was 71,559 days ago today.

Join us as over the next seven months, we will plan a series of events and projects that salute the Freight Train in all its importance.

KEEP THE DATE:

September 27, 2022

A LOOK BACK

Issue #6 april 25

Dan iel Pyk e

Not all rails are created equal

N

ot all rails need to withstand the same loads and traffic and often the optimum life for a rail is a balancing act between different types of degradation competing to limit the rails useful life. I wrote a little bit recently about which rail is best which discusses this further.

There are literally thousands of types of steel out there filling different needs. Your steel rule has different properties from your can of soft drink for example.

Most rail standards around the world contain multiple options for rail steels to try to address the differing needs of traffic they are trying to support. The type of steel can have dramatic effects on the track performance and maintenance. For example some rail steels wear 10 times faster than others; so picking the right one(s) can make huge differences to networks’ bottom lines.

The European rail standard (EN) for rails is the one I’m most familiar with, (indeed I’ve had a little input into what is in it), so I’ll discuss the types in this first. There are of course many other standards around the globe and I’ll not be able to include them all in this article without boring all my readers to tears- so apologies in advance if I miss yours out. The European rail standard has two distinct groups of steels. Those which are heat treated, and those which are not. Heat treatment is used to alter the properties of the steel - essentially to make it harder and hopefully more wear resistant..

Their name reflects the minimum hardness that the surface of the rail should be (in Brinell) and is often used as a proxy for wear resistance. That isn’t quite true but that is an explanation for another day/article. All are prefixed by the letter “R” for some reason which I don’t know. If you know why then let me know in the comments.

R200 has a minimum hardness of 200 Brinell. Other asrolled grades are R220, R260, R260Mn, and R320Cr. The numbers indicating the minimum hardness and the suffix letters indicate alloy additions to alter the properties of the rail. In many countries, (but certainly not all) R260 is often the “standard” grade that is used for the majority of the mainline track.

At this point I will mention that progress in standards to reflect the real world happens at a seemingly glacial rate. The UK

has used a harder as rolled grade (we call it HP335) since 2010.

Then there are the heat treated grades which all carry a suffix HT - R350HT / R350LHT / R370CrHT / R400HT

Different phases

All of the rails so far are pearlitic rails. Pearlitic refers to the structure within the steel. I don’t want to baffle many of my audience by trying to turn this into a metallurgy article, but steel exists in different phases as well as different compositions and heat treatments. Common steel phases are Ferrite, Pearlite, Bainite, and Martensite.

The vast majority of rails are pearlite, however British Steel has pioneered Bainitic rails which have some very interesting anti-fatigue properties to avoid the need for rail grinding. Indeed SNCF mandate its use in parts of their rail infrastructure and Eurotunnel used it for over one billion tonnes of traffic without grinding needed in the channel tunnel. If you want more in-depth articles on rail steel metallurgy then let me know in the comments.

Where the European standard (EN) names their rails by the minimum hardness, other specifications such as the UIC and Indian rail specification use the tensile strength of the steel instead. The UIC rail grades of 700, 900A or B, and 1100 require minimum strengths of 680, 880 and 1080MPa respectively.

There may be significant differences in the standards but the steel can be the same.

The American (AREMA) specification is the one I find hardest to explain. There are two main categories, Carbon Rail Steel and Low Alloy Rail Steel which vary by the composition of the steel. Then both of these categories are sub divided into Standard, Intermediate and High strength sub-categories. Lastly I’ll mention the BS11 standard. One of the first rail standards out there (first issued in 1905 last revised in 2015 - its 10th edition/ It has a long history but is now largely superseded by the Euro Norm (EN13674) rail standard. However BS11 remains current to identify the dimensions and tolerances of various rails produced which are still used around the globe, including bullhead rail.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 45

A LOOK BACK

Yard

Limit Rail freight off-duty

I say ‘Railway’, you say ‘Railroad’ (or is it Rail Road?)

R

ail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term railroad and the international term railway (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United States) is the most significant difference in rail terminology.

Then there are railway line, railroad line, rail line or train line.

Many American railway companies used the word ‘railway’ when they were founded back in the 19th century but later on there was a trend toward the use of ‘railroad’.

Just to confuse the friendly rivalry between the terms railway and railroad, It might be noted that the oldest passenger rail company still extant in the US (and possibly the world) is still operating under its original name: the Long Island Rail Road, chartered in 1834.

It’s partly geography, partly technology, partly era.

Railroading means two things

Curiously, in the United States ‘railroading’ denotes a job or a career while ‘railwaying’ is not a word. Railroading does actually a secondary, somewhat dark meaning: “informal to force (a person) into (an action) with haste or by unfair means.”

In a list of the top 10 largest rail companies in the world by market cap in 2020, there is an overwhelming range of railways again railroads..

Standing alone in the railroad corner is (1) Union Pacific Railroad ($123.56bn).

46 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

In a much more crowded corner stand the railways: (2) Canadian National Railway ($94.85bn); (3) Central Japan Railway Company ($38.7bn); (4) East Japan Railway Company ($36.2bn); (5) MTR - Mass Transit Railway [Hong Kong] (31.14bn); (6) Norfolk Southern Railway ($27.1bn); (8) Canadian Pacific Railway ($22.8bn); (9) Deutsche Bahn - German Railway ($18.85bn); (10) Indian Railways (N/A).

One company in the Top 10 stands alone for neither having railway or railroad in its name - (7) CSX Transportation ($26.3bn).

Historically, In the US, if the trains were pulled by steam or diesel locomotives, the enterprise was called a railroad. On the other hand most of the now defunct electric interurbans connecting cities were typically called “railways”. That’s a good rule of thumb, though there were exceptions. Though it’s trains were pulled by steam and diesel locomotives, the Northern Pacific, which connected Minneapolis / St. Paul with the Pacific Northwest, used “railway” in its corporate name, while two of the last interurbans to operate, the Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee Railroad, and the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad, used the name “Railroad” in their corporate names.

In the UK, most enterprises operating freight and passenger transport by rail used the name, and were referred to as “railways” to the extent that it’s likely that a written article using the word “railway” was written in the UK or by an author writing for a UK audience.

A LOOK BACK

Issue #7 may 9

DO YOU TAKE MILK?

In each issue of Freight Tracks we look at scale model versions of modern and old school freight rolling stock and infrastructure DAPOL O Gauge 6 Wheel Milk Tanker United Dairies

I

f your model layout population like milk in their tea or coffee, then this six-wheeled glass-lined milk tank is what you need.

The model version

The Wales-based model railway manufacturer Dapol has created this O gauge model of the 6-wheel milk tanker which features: finely moulded body shell and chassis; many seprately added fine details; finely applied livery and printed details; profiled wheels and axels with brass bearing pockets; metal sprung buffers; metal sprung coupling hook and metal screw couplings. It has a RRP of £80.

The real milk tank

Milk tank wagons were a common sight on railways in the United Kingdom from the early 1930s to the late 1960s. Introduced to transport raw milk from re-

mote dairy farms to central creameries, milk trains were the last railway-based system before the move to road transport.

Post 1923, of the 282,000,000 imperial gallons (12,800,000 hL; 339,000,000 US gal) of milk transported by rail by all four national railways companies, the Great Western Railway had the largest share of milk traffic, serving the rural and highly agricultural West of England and South Wales; followed by the LMS which collected from Cumbria and North Wales; the Southern particularly from the Somerset and Dorset Railway; and finally the LNER from East Anglia.

Often, the milk was delivered direct from the farmer to the local railway station in milk churns. So to remove the need for moving unprocessed milk from one container to another, and hence potential cross contamination or need to install hygienic washing facilities, the decision was taken to transport the milk churns. From the 1880s, the GWR had

introduced the popular GWR Siphon series of passenger carriage chassis-based high-speed and ventilated enclosed wagons, but with volumes rising and production systems changing, the transport system had to change.

The first designs were introduced by the GWR and the LMS in 1927, followed a year later by the LNER. The SR initially experimented with 2000-imperial-gallon (9100 l; 2400 US gal) roll-on/ roll-off two or three-axled road trailers, which after being towed to each farm by a dairy company or SR lorry, could be taken to the railway station and then strapped down on a standard railway flat wagon.

The initial milk tank wagon designs were based on a 12-foot (3.7 m) two axle railway wagon chassis.

The first tanks were labelled externally as being glass-lined (they were actually vitreous enamel), meaning that the wagons themselves were unauthorised for loose or hump shunting.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 47

A LOOK BACK

Issue #9 JUNE 6

Wabtec delivers f freight locomotiv

W

abtec Corporation has agrred to modernise locomotives for Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue), representing Wabtec’s delivery of the first fleet of modernised locomotives for an Australian rail freight customer.

The fleet will be transformed into AC44C6M locomotives to meet the performance requirements of Fortescue while delivering operational and environmental efficiencies.

“While we have completed more than 1,000 modernisations for customers globally, it’s a first for Australia and demonstrates Fortescue’s commitment to drive more sustainable rail operations,” said Wendy McMillan, Senior Regional Vice Pres-

48 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

ident, South East Asia, Australia and New “By repurposing and rebuilding our loc another 20 years of life, while reducing the repair and overhaul expenses by up to 20 “For Fortescue, the modernised trains tive effort and more than 40% increase in The modernised locomotives will ben creased reliability with new features inclu a new design high-efficiency radiator and to remove obsolescence, and AC traction

Issue #9 JUNE 6

A LOOK BACK

first modernised ves to Australia

w Zealand. comotives, we give these heavy-haul trains e fuel consumption and maintenance, and 0%. s will deliver up to a 55% increase in tracn reliability.” nefit from improved performance and inuding a UX engine, new electrical cabinets, radiator cab, an upgraded control system with individual axle control.

“The procurement of the modernised locomotives is an important element of Fortescue’s locomotive fleet strategy,” General Manager Hedland Operations, Mark Komene said.

“This newly modernised fleet will enable substantial long-term capital and operating costs savings, provide the latest traction and control technology, and enable future upgrades to alternative energy sources such as battery electric in support of Fortescue’s industry-leading target to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

The new AC44C6M locomotives will be rebuilt at Wabtec’s Fort Worth facility in Texas, USA, before making the journey to Western Australia over the next two years for deployment at Fortescue’s mining operations.

www.freight-tracks.com AUGUST 1 2022 n 49

A LOOK BACK

Issue #9 JUNE 6

Loram and AEGIS sign MOU to meet growing demand UNITED KINGDOM Loram and AEGIS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see both businesses work together to meet the needs of a growing number of rolling stock asset owners.

Loram specialises in rolling stock and on-track maintenance services. By partnering with AEGIS, a global leader in rail consultancy and certification, both businesses aim to provide turnkey high- tech engineering services to owners of passenger, freight and infrastructure vehicles in both the UK and across the EMEA region.

The announcement follows growing collaboration between AEGIS and Loram on ETCS retrofit projects, as well as joint work on securing approvals and certification for re-engineered vehicles.

Emerging needs As well as meeting the emerging needs of asset owners such as Network Rail, TfL, HS2 and the ROSCOs, the MOU will also accelerate modification and enhancements to fleets operated and maintained by Loram.

Richard Kelly, Managing Director of Loram, said: “As a

business committed to meeting customer needs in a timely and cost-effective manner, I’m delighted that Loram can join with AEGIS to accelerate the delivery of a range of projects and the deployment of on-train signalling systems.

“The formation of GBR is about simplifying the railway and enhancing delivering for all our customers, our MOU with AEGIS will make this tangible for the rolling stock owners that work with both our businesses.”

Mark McCool, Managing Director of AEGIS said: “Having worked with Loram for many years it is clear that we share a passion for delivering excellence to our customers.

“This MoU demonstrates our joint commitment to bring our teams closer together, to share our diverse expertise, to learn from each other and ultimately provide our customers with an enhanced industry leading service, focussed on agility, innovation and best value.

“This collaboration will provide a one stop shop offering the complete systems engineering lifecycle for everything from small modifications to full turnkey solutions.”

Both AEGIS and Loram operations are based in Derby, England, which describes itself as “at the Heart of the Railway.”

USA: 380% DUTY ON CHINESE RAILCAR COUPLINGS UNITED STATES Last month, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s International Trade and National Security practice group secured a key victory for domestic coupler producers in their efforts to combat dumped and subsidised imports, as the US Department of Commerce released its preliminary results in the antidumping investigation on freight rail couplers from China.

Commerce’s decision now results in combined antidumping and countervailing duty deposits of over 380% on Chinese producers and exporters of couplers.

This decision results in implementation of cash deposit requirements on all imports of Chinese freight rail

50 n

couplers effective on the date that the results notice is published in the Federal Register. Daniel B Pickard, counsel to the Coalition of Freight Coupler Producers and Chair of

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Buchanan’s International Trade and National Security practice group stated: “The US industry is extremely pleased with Commerce’s preliminary results, which underscore the extreme, unfair pricing of Chinese imports.

“This decision is a significant victory for the domestic industry and for its American workers.”

The US International Trade Commission determined in November 2021 that there was a reasonable indication of material injury by reason of imports from China. The investigations will now proceed to final determinations by both the Department of Commerce and the ITC.

news review headline news

headline news

BECAUSE NOT ALL FREIGHT ON A TRAIN MOVES IN A BOX 20 nn XX

www.freight-tracks.com June 6 2022 n XX

visit: tankcontainermedia.com

May June9 62022 2022 @freighttracks @freighttracks

KEEP THE DATE: Railway industry calendar of events

18 July 24-25 August 07-08 September 08 September 22-25 August 14-16 September 16-22 September 20-23 September 27 September 30 September 04-06 October 05 October 05-07 October 12-13 October 13-14 October 19-20 October 19-20 October 19-21 October November TBC 07-09 November 08-10 November 09 November 14-17 November 15-17 November 29 Nov - 01 Dec 07-08 December 08 December

Lake Geneva, USA Halberstadt, Germany Warsaw, Poland London, UK Montpellier, France Munich, Germany Europe Berlin, Germany Worldwide Manchester, UK Berlin, Germany London, UK Prague, Chezchia Germany Nis, Serbia Debrecen, Hungary Jakarta, Indonesia Berlin, Germany Barcelona, Spain Warsaw, Poland Amsterdam, Netherlands Stockholm, Sweden Lisbon, Portugal TBC Malaga, Spain Duisberg, Germany Paris, France

Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) Summer Meeting CRSC Information Day and Member Meeting Rail Freight Summit RFG Awards Dinner International Conference on Railway Technology 17th Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security European Mobility Week innoTrans World Freight Train Day Rail in the North of England EPCA Annual Meeting RFG Annual Conference International Rail Forum Conference Rail Infra Forum Railcon Rail Freight on Tour RailwayTech Indonesia Deutsche Logistik Kongress BCNRAIL Internacional Rail Forum 9th International Transport & Logistics Exhibition Intermodal Europe Scandinavian Rail Optimisation Transport Research Arena Intelligent Rail Summit 2022 Rail Live 2022 European Silk Road Summit 101st UIC General Assembly

Lille France Birmingham, UK Milan, Italy

13th International Exhibition of Railway Technology Railtex Expo Ferroviaria

2023 28-30 March 09-11 May 03-05 October

If you would like your event listed here free of charge, just send details to freighttracks@gmail.com 52 n

AUGUST 1 2022 @freighttracks

Hi CUBE BOXCARS

SMALL SCALE RAIL FREIGHT

DO YOU TAKE MILK?

In each issue of Freight Tracks we look at scale model versions of modern and old school freight rolling stock and infrastructure DAPOL O Gauge 6 Wheel Milk Tanker United Dairies

THE VOICE OF THE UK RAIL SUPPLY COMMUNITY SINCE BEFORE THE SCOTSMAN BEGAN TO FLY.

www.riagb.org.uk