INTERNATIONAL: This concise weekly review presents a selection of rail freight news published from July 26 to August 1, 2026: terminals, network access, operating incidents and rolling-stock developments.

CARGOUNIT Vectron locomotive hauling a container train in Germany
A CARGOUNIT Vectron locomotive hauls a container train near Haldern, Germany. Illustrative image for one rolling-stock story in the weekly review; it does not depict the July 2026 handovers. Photo: Rob Dammers / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0.

Terminals and network access

East Deerfield gains an intermodal transfer point

Massachusetts opened a $5.6 million transload facility at East Deerfield Rail Yard, enabling containers to move between trains and trucks within the site. Four of the yard’s eight tracks received new rail, ties and turnouts for intermodal handling, while the other four were rehabilitated for freight receipt, delivery and staging. Federal funding covered 80% of the project cost.

Noáin terminal enters service with higher capacity

Adif commissioned the expanded Noáin freight terminal in Navarra on July 21. Its 42,500 m² intermodal area includes two 600-metre mixed-gauge tracks and can handle up to eight trains per day, with annual capacity set at 60,000 intermodal transport units. Terminal Catalunya invested almost €10 million in the works; the operating agreement now runs to June 2045.

Union Pacific and CN exchange new operating rights

A binding memorandum gives Union Pacific broader access to CN’s Elgin, Joliet & Eastern corridor around Chicago, while CN gains rights over Union Pacific infrastructure between Memphis and Eagle Pass. The arrangement expands routing options across the companies’ existing networks without merging them. Neither a start date nor financial terms were disclosed for the operating-rights agreement.

Costs, volumes and operating incidents

Germany resets 2026 track access charges

Germany’s Federal Network Agency revised the 2026 charging system after an EU court judgment invalidated the previous calculation method. DB InfraGO freight charges will fall 12%, while long-distance passenger charges decline 17% and regional passenger charges rise 9%. About €400 million in costs shifts back to regional services, with retroactive invoice corrections still to be settled.

KTZ reports 157.1 million tonnes in six months

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy moved 157.1 million tonnes of freight in the first half of 2026, 3.5% more than a year earlier. Domestic traffic reached 82.2 million tonnes and exports 45.6 million tonnes. Coal remained the largest commodity at 51.3 million tonnes, while grain traffic rose 10% to 7.3 million tonnes.

Runaway coal train prompts Australian investigation

A fully laden Pacific National coal train travelled several kilometres without a crew during a changeover at Camberwell in the Hunter Valley. No collision, derailment or injuries occurred, but coal and passenger movements stopped for 36 hours. ONRSR preserved the scene and requested records from the operator; no cause had been established when services resumed.

Missouri derailment closes railway and road links

Twenty-six cars from a 135-car Union Pacific coal train derailed near Eureka, Missouri, compromising both tracks and forcing the Lewis Road bridge to close after a wagon struck it. Emergency officials reported no injuries and no hazardous materials in the derailed cars. The cause, recovery schedule and reopening dates for the railway and bridge remained undisclosed.

Rolling stock and heavy-haul technology

Seventy Eanos wagons ordered for autumn delivery

STORK Cargo and Mindener Kreisbahnen jointly ordered 70 new Eanos wagons from Greenbrier Leasing Europe. Each four-axle vehicle will offer about 85 m³ of loading volume, a maximum payload of 63.5 tonnes and telematics for fleet monitoring. Production is assigned to Greenbrier’s plant in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, with first deliveries expected in autumn 2026.

Three locomotive platforms join European freight fleets

European freight operators received several leased locomotives: the first of two EuroDuals went to Neo Lox, a Dragon 2 joined Grupa Azoty KOLTAR, and CARGOUNIT supplied Vectrons to LTE Polska and LTG Cargo. The Dragon 2 is authorised in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Dates for the second EuroDual and detailed Vectron allocations were not disclosed.

R400HT rail moves toward qualification testing

ArcelorMittal Poland is developing R400HT rail for heavy-haul and mining routes exposed to severe wear and temperatures down to minus 40°C. Company-cited studies indicate more than six times the abrasion resistance of standard R260 rail. Qualification testing is intended to finish by the end of 2026; negotiations concern a possible Canadian batch, but no order has been announced.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Don’t miss…Full U-Cross Rollout Approved for Heart of Wales Line