Data of the Week
DB Cargo close to operational profitability, mostly thanks to subsidies
The German rail freight operator DB Cargo is one of the hot topics in the industry. Besieged by EU law, but mostly also hindered by…
Market transformation
Data of the week: Public companies are on the retreat in European rail freight
State-owned companies are playing an ever smaller role in the European rail freight industry. New market entrants are proving themselves to be worthy competitors. At…
Regulatory controversy
Data of the week: A review of the European and Swiss approaches to wheel safety
About two months ago, the Swiss Federal Office for Transport (FOT) indicated that it would stick to its own version of wagon wheel safety rules…
GOOD NEWS FOR FREIGHT
Data of the Week: Portugal limits track access charges increase for freight
Freight train operators in Portugal will have reduced increases in the access track charges (TAC). The infrastructure manager (IP – Infraestruturas de Portugal) released an…
2025 data
Data of the week: Only one major port in Northwestern Europe capitalised on container growth
Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg: These are the major ports in Northwestern Europe. Throughput developments here directly impact the rail freight business, and so we’re taking a…
2024 figures
Data of the week: Italian trucks outpace rail, but trains dominate in international traffic
The Italian rail freight sector remained stable in 2024. The total volume transported was virtually unchanged compared to 2023. Conversely, the road sector grew by…
Maxmodal Silk Road Index
Data of the Week: Rail holds firm as ocean rates climb, narrowing Silk Road–Suez gap in January
Maxmodal’s January 2026 data show consolidation on Eurasian rail corridors, while deep-sea gains tighten the spread between overland and Suez pricing.
Single wagonload on the retreat
Data of the week: Intermodal remains resilient despite Dutch rail freight volume collapse
The volume of rail freight on the Dutch rail network has shrunk for the third year in a row. As in previous years, the decline…
RAIL-PORT SYNERGIES
Data of the week: Port of Gothenburg breaks multiple records in 2025
Sweden’s largest port in Gothenburg broke various throughput records during 2025. Freight trains moved 60% of the containers in the port, which is an all-time…
Maxmodal Silk Road Index
Data of the week: Silk Road rail costs edge higher in December as sea–land gap narrows
Rail freight costs on the Eurasian overland corridors continued to rise in December 2025, while deep-sea–linked transport costs increased even faster, narrowing the price gap…
Problems on the Russian network
Data of the week: Are the Russian loading figures past rock bottom?
It has been quite the saga for the past two years: the development of loading volumes on the Russian rail network. Operator Russian Railways (RZD)…
Slow progress
Data of the week: ETCS and electrification move at a snail’s pace in Germany
In the last days of 2025, the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) published its annual rail market report. RailFreight.com discussed some aspects of the findings…