Ana Monteiro
Thu, December 14, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s state-owned ports and rail company withdrew a request for quotes for an operating lease on a freight-rail artery that connects its biggest port with its industrial hub, because changes in the nation’s transport policy have affected the scope of the project.
Transnet SOC Ltd. first issued the call for private-sector partners on the so-called Container Corridor linking Durban with Johannesburg on Jan. 27, it said in a statement Thursday.
Reforms contained in the National Rail Policy and Economic Regulation of Transport Bill — which include separating rail operations from infrastructure — mean that Transnet needs to review the process for bringing in private companies, it said.
“Transnet is fully committed to increasing private-sector partnerships on key rail corridors, but believes it is necessary to complete the process of bringing the freight-rail ecosystem in line with national policy before taking any further steps to do so,” it said.
Transnet, which operates the nation’s ports, fuel pipelines and freight rail system, has amassed 130 billion rand ($7 billion) of debt after years of mismanagement, underinvestment and corruption that have impacted its services and weighed on the economy.
Coal shipments on South Africa’s freight-rail network have plunged to 30-year lows and iron-ore railings are at their lowest in a decade, prompting companies including Glencore Plc to consider cutting jobs. Port snarl-ups are resulting in delays to the loading and offloading of ships and some fashion retailers have resorted to flying in apparel.
The Durban to Johannesburg line is used primarily to transport containers.
--With assistance from Antony Sguazzin.
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Incredible video captures test run for high-speed train blasting through station: ‘It’s kinda wild to see’
Jeremiah Budin
Fri, December 15, 2023
Recent footage of a high-speed train being tested in India wowed the members of the r/trains subreddit.
The footage was posted to the forum with the description, “9th vande bharat express blows past Mumbai station during high-speed test, India.” X user Ashwini Vaishnaw originally posted it to the platform formerly known as Twitter.
9th Vande Bharat reaches Mumbai for testing. #AmritKaal pic.twitter.com/Iyt6YVwoAA— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) February 2, 2023
The Vande Bharat Express is a medium-distance Indian Railways train service that runs between major cities and other destinations, according to the India Times. It launched in 2019 and now functions on 36 routes across the country, according to Conde Nast Traveler, which described it as “Much faster and lighter than other trains in India” due to its advanced self-propelled technology.
The trains can reach speeds of up to about 110 miles per hour (although they are not permitted to go quite that fast due to poor track conditions that have not yet caught up with the high-speed trains).
When countries invest in high-speed rail, that’s a big win for the environment, as it cuts down on the need for both driving and air travel, which cause far more pollution than trains.
According to one study, commercial air travel produces seven times more planet-overheating gases than train travel.
And while cars are not as bad as planes, they are still far worse for our planet than trains. According to Our World in Data,” Taking a train instead of a car for medium-length distances would cut your emissions by around 80%.”
Unfortunately for those of us in the United States, efficient high-speed rail has become much more ubiquitous in Asia — particularly in China, which has built out a robust high-speed rail system over the past decade — than it has in the U.S., which remains car-centric almost everywhere.
That means that for many of us, watching footage of a high-speed train is as close as we’re going to get to experiencing one.
“It’s kinda wild to see people just casually strolling next to a vehicle moving that fast!” wrote one commenter.
“I really can’t wait to see the actual HSR blast through the Indian countryside,” wrote
another.
Russian Railways calls Finland's train seizure unlawful
The New Voice of Ukraine
Sat, December 16, 2023
Finland has withdrawn the trains shared with Russia
Russian Railways accused Finland's state-owned railway company VR of illegally seizing four passenger trains co-owned through a joint venture that ran between the two countries prior to March 2022, Reuters reported on Dec. 15.
The Allegro trains were seized after more than 18 months of negotiations without any result, VR said, noting that Russian government had neglected its financial obligations to the Karelian Trains joint venture, and redeemed Karelian Trains' loans to Finnish banks when the venture faced bankruptcy in June 2023, gaining rights that allowed it to seize the trains.
"Repeated proposals by Russian Railways to resume the operation of Allegro trains under the existing framework agreements were not accepted by the Finnish side," Russian Railways said.
Read also:
Finland to reopen two border crossings with Russia
Finland to investigate neo-Nazi Yan Petrovsky's war crimes
"The unlawful actions of VR and the Finnish management of Karelian Trains led to the insolvency of the latter."
Allegro trains are tilting high-speed trains also known as Sm6. Each consist of seven carriages. The trains are expected to be put into service in domestic long-distance travel in Finland from 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment