Two new train connections were born between Melzo in Northern Italy and respectively Kaldenkirchen and Duisburg in Germany. Jan de Rijk Intermodal and Wetron Transport & Logistics signed an agreement with primeRail to set up these services last week. The first Duisburg-Melzo connection starts on 4 January 4. A total of ten round trips will be made per week.

The new service includes last-mile deliveries on both ends. For example, shipments from Belgium, the Netherlands and the Ruhr area are collected in the German terminals during the day, after which they leave by train the same evening. A few hours after the train arrives in Italy, these shipments are delivered throughout Northern Italy within the network of the providing transport companies.

Shift to rail

Fred Westdijk, CEO of Jan de Rijk Logistics commented: “With this schedule, at least 470 journeys will be carried out in 2020, as a result of which we will move approximately 17 million kilometers from the road to the railways. With this service we not only offer our customers a reliable and cost-efficient solution, but also a significant CO2 reduction. With this solution we meet the fast-growing demand of our customers for sustainability.”