South Africa could receive an undisclosed loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to upgrade its port and freight-rail infrastructure, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The loan would boost export capabilities in South Africa which are hampered down by inefficient port infrastructure, the newswire notes. The financing would be under the umbrella of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) decarbonization pact to help South Africa move away from coal usage. The JTEP consists of USD 8.8 bn in pledges by the EIB, France, Germany, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

German state rail freight operator DB Cargo — a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn — recorded some EUR 500 mn in losses in 2023, putting it at jeopardy of being broken up by the EU if its figures are deemed to be distorting the market, Reuters reported last week, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The financial troubles are on the back of single-wagon traffic incurring chronic losses, with consignments of a few wagons at most being transported at great expense. Brussels has initiated an investigation into potential market distortion due to the German government's subsidization of the freight operator's financial losses.

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