DB Cargo and Kombiverkehr are expanding their shuttle service between the port of Antwerp and Duisburg. From now on, up to 90 TEUs can be transported per train rather than the previous 60 TEUs. The shuttle departs three times per week. The operators calculated that in a year time, the additional capacity would ensure the transportation of 9,000 additional containers, trailers and swap bodies.

Starting in autumn 2020, additional trains are set to run from Antwerp to Germany’s Ruhr district. Moreover, DB Cargo plans to integrate the western ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp more strongly into its network by the end of the year. This is an important building block for more growth in rail freight transport.

Shift to rail

Rail plays an important part in the transportation of goods between the hubs. In just five hours, with the option of late loading in Antwerp or early collection of consignments in Duisburg, customers can send their goods further on their way within Kombiverkehr’s network. In Germany, this could be to Ludwigshafen, Munich or Leipzig, or Europe-wide to Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, Scandinavia or even Turkey.

The capacity on rail is an important step in the modal shift policy of Europe, DB Cargo argues. It should eliminate the need for a further 10,000 trucks per year. “This is more important now than it ever has been, as long-duration construction work on a ring road around the Belgian city of Antwerp (Oosterweel Link) will hugely restrict the road in the coming years.”