Phase one of the new Bettembourg-Dudelange Intermodal Terminal linking Luxembourg and its European neighbours is open for business. A partial opening of the new terminal means it is now accepting its first combi-trains, ahead of a full facility roll-out this summer.

For owners CFL Intermodal, the 33-hectare facility is the new jewel in its crown, with capacity for 3,500 containers. It has four combined lanes, enabling it to mix different modes of transport, and two platforms of railway motorways, capable of directly loading cargoes loaded in semi-trailers.

Innovation

The platforms can also handle 700 metre-long trains, a crucial innovation as more and more rail freight operators and logistics providers look to maximise modal shift opportunities through the provision of longer trains.

Daniel Feyder, CFL Terminals Director, said: “Thanks to the commitment and mobilisation of our staff, our partners and our subcontractors, CFL terminals have been successfully transferred to the new terminal.This first phase of commissioning allows us to capture all existing trains on the new terminal.”

Infrastructure

Until the completion of the whole infrastructure of the new terminal, which will probably be around the end of June this year, the old neighbouring terminal will continue to serve as an entrance and control station for trucks. The trucks are routed to the new terminal via an internal connection bridge. After the loading and unloading of the semitrailers and containers, the trucks are passed directly over the new terminal and in the direction of Bettembourg Cross.

The old container terminal will eventually be converted into a secure truck stop for the customers of Eurohub-Sud Bettembourg-Dudelange. CFL Intermodal, formerly known as Eco Logistics Operator, is a subsidiary of CFL Multimodal, which provides direct connections to Belgium, France, Italy and Spain, with onward port connections to Scandinavia, the UK and Turkey.