What is described as ‘the first direct rail freight service’ between the ports of Trieste in Italy and Kiel in Germany was launched on January 25. There are connections with shipping services to Scandinavia, Greece, and Turkey.
The service is a flagship project for the European TEN-T corridor between the Adriatic and Baltic, and is expected to help attract freight from road to rail.
There will be one freight train a week in each direction during the test phase until Easter, leaving Trieste at 11.00 on Wednesdays and taking 26 h to cover the 1 360 km route. Kiel could be used as a logistics hub to serve northern Germany and Denmark. A Stena Line ferry connection means freight can arrive in Göteborg at 9.15 on Friday. If the test is successful, second weekly service is planned by the end of the year.
‘Collaboration with all participating partners and the co-ordinated schedule ensures short waiting times in the ports and reduces transit times between Turkey and Scandinavia considerably’, said Jörg Nowaczyk, manager at TX Logistik. ‘This also makes the intermodal connection interesting for freight destined for northern Germany and southern Denmark.’