Kombiverkehr has recorded 7,329 more truckloads from road to rail in the 2016 financial year than in the previous year. The total number of consignments was 985,424 (1.97m TEU) which represented a growth of 0.7% on 2015.
An upward trend was achieved in both national and international transport, which includes bilateral services between countries and domestic transport to and from the German Baltic Sea ports Kiel, Lübeck and Rostock with connections to and from northern Europe. Traffic has increased to 202,927 consignments (+1,224 consignments or +0.6%) in the national transport and to 782,498 consignments (+6,106 consignments or +0.8%) in the international transport.
The Managing Director Robert Breuhahn commented: “Intermodal transport has certainly had to contend with some challenges over the last twelve months, including low diesel costs, international strikes and an extended closure of the nationally and internationally important terminal in Ludwigshafen. It’s nevertheless clear that sustainable growth is still possible in national and international transport”.
The fellow Managing Director Armin Riedl commented that “the harmonisation of EU-wide legislation and existing aid schemes, along with a fair competitive environment for the modes of transport road and rail, would further increase the acceptance of combined freight transport not only among existing users but potential ones as well, and also stimulate the movement of shipments onto the climate-friendly railways”.
In order to build on the upward trend in consignments in 2016 during the current financial year, the operator started the year by expanding its range of products and services. A new international train recently started operating between Duisburg-Ruhrort Hafen and Moerdijk in the Netherlands, for instance, and additional capacity has been created on services to and from the German Baltic Sea ports and between Germany and Italy.
In addition to this, a new short shuttle train has also been installed between Cologne and Ludwigshafen to act as a vital feeder service for national and international transport between the gateway terminals. Furthermore, since the middle of the month customers in the forwarding and logistics sector who do business with Turkey have been able to reach the Turkish ports of Ambarli, Haydarpasa, Pendik, Mersin and Cesme, and also the port terminal in Alsancak from Trieste.
Source: Kombiverkehr
